A small cylinder of compressed helium gas is used to inflate balloons for a celebration.
(b) The helium in the cylinder has a volume of 6.0 × 10–3 m3 (0.0060 m3) and is at a pressure of 2.75 × 106 Pa.
(i) The pressure of helium in each balloon is 1.1 × 105 Pa. The volume of helium in an inflated balloon is 3.0 × 10–3 (0.0030 m3). The temperature of the helium does not change.
Calculate the number of balloons that were inflated.
I know how the calculation is done for this question using p1v1=p2v2 but my question is how can you equate the pressure and the volume of both systems if the mass of helium in both system is not equal?
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The gas in the cylinder cannot be emptied to create vacuum. So, once the pressure inside the cylinder equals atmospheric pressure, it stops pushing gas to the balloon. Hence the last balloon may not be inflated to full. Considering this, the available pressure in the cylinder initially has to be initial cylinder pressure - atmospheric pressure which is 2.75 × 10^6 - 1.01 × 10^5 = 2.64 x 10^6 Pa.
therefore, (2.64 x 10^6) * (6 x 10^-3) = 1.1 x 10^5 x v2
v2= 0.144 m^3
therefore, v2/ volume of helium in 1 balloon
= 0.144/0.003 =48
(remember there are many ways of doing a sum)