How many helium balloons does it take to lift a great white shark?
About 120,000 balloonsA great white shark weighs 1,200 kg, and each balloon lifts about 10 g.
It takes about 120,000 balloons.
How we worked it out
A great white shark weighs 1,200 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 #27. 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 #27Play today’s experiments
More balloons questions
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a helicopter? About 68,000.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a cow? About 68,000.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a Formula 1 car? About 77,000.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a bison? About 80,000.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a giraffe? About 120,000.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a car? About 140,000.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a hippo? About 150,000.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a pickup truck? About 220,000.