How many helium balloons does it take to lift a German Shepherd?
About 3,500 balloonsA German Shepherd weighs 35 kg, and each balloon lifts about 10 g.
It takes about 3,500 balloons.
How we worked it out
A German Shepherd weighs 35 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 #33. 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 #33Play today’s experiments
More balloons questions
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a curling stone? About 1,900.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a Labrador? About 3,000.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift an emperor penguin? About 3,400.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a person? About 6,200.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a white-tailed deer? About 6,400.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a sheep? About 6,400.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a fridge? About 6,800.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a red kangaroo? About 7,200.