How many helium balloons does it take to lift an elephant?
About 600,000 balloonsAn elephant weighs 6,000 kg, and each balloon lifts about 10 g.
It takes about 600,000 balloons.
How we worked it out
An elephant weighs 6,000 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 #9. 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 #9Play today’s experiments
More balloons questions
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a 250-page paperback? About 28.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a hedgehog? About 80.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a pineapple? About 150.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a Chihuahua? About 200.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift an electric guitar? About 360.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a red fox? About 650.
- How many helium balloons does it take to lift a gold bar? About 1,200.