Question

A balloon filled with hydrogen gas is carried from earth to moon. Then the balloon will:

• A. neither fall nor rise
• B. fall with acceleration less than g
• C. fall with acceleration g
• D. rise with acceleration g

Answer 1

The correct option is B fall with acceleration less than g

Since the Earth posses atmosphere due to its gravity, the descent of objects such as a sheet of paper, a tissue, or a balloon are considerably slowed by the molecules of air and pushed away from their path of the falling. Since, the hydrogen gas is the lighter than air hence, a balloon filled with hydrogen gas floats high in air on Earth.
The gravity of Moon is one sixth that of Earth's gravity, hence the moon does not possess a sufficient amount of gravity to hold down an atmosphere. Therefore when a balloon filled with hydrogen gas is carried from earth on moon, then the balloon will fall with acceleration less than g.