Activity

Preconditioning Balloons: Viscoelastic Biomedical Experiments

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

What does stretching a balloon have to do with equilibrium? Groups explore preconditioning by stretching a balloon to a point of equilibrium. They then measure the amount of force required to stretch the balloon to the same point several times. By graphing the data, they recognize when the force no longer increases.

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CCSS: Designed
Instructional Ideas
  • Use different types of balloons and compare the results
  • To hook the class to the activity, hand different pupils balloons to blow up and observe the first thing they do
Classroom Considerations
  • Prepare the balloons with hooks prior to the activity; be sure to include extras
Pros
  • The resource contains troubleshooting tips to help alleviate human variability and error
  • Includes activity extensions
Cons
  • The lab steps for the balloons activity are the wrong files