How many helium balloons does it take to lift a brick?
About 210 balloonsA brick weighs 2.13 kg, and each balloon lifts about 10 g.
It takes about 210 balloons.
How we worked it out
A brick weighs 2.13 kg, and each balloon lifts about 10 g. Standard 11-inch party balloons at sea level, about 10 g of lift each. Real life adds a little friction and waste, so treat the number as a solid ballpark rather than a lab result. The constants behind every experiment are on the science page.
Watch it happen
This was one of the five experiments in It Took #35. In the game you guess first, then the experiment plays out with your number: too few and it fails, too many and it overshoots.
Play It Took #35Play today’s experiments
More balloons questions
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a pineapple? About 150.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a laptop? About 150.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a rabbit? About 160.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a Chihuahua? About 200.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift an alto saxophone? About 240.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a flamingo? About 250.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a chicken? About 250.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift an electric guitar? About 360.