# How many ballons would it take to lift you off the ground? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 24, 2006, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ballons-would-it-take-to-lift-you-off-the-ground/365798 "2006-07-24T08:34:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Feces\_Of\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8797f3/32.png) [@Feces\_Of\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feces_Of_Death)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ballons-would-it-take-to-lift-you-off-the-ground/365798/1 "2006-07-24T08:34:10Z")
Ok supposed I weigh 180 pounds, and I have access to all the helium filled latex balloons I want. How many do I need to lift me off the ground? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ballons-would-it-take-to-lift-you-off-the-ground/365798/2 "2006-07-24T08:57:28Z")
[Mythbusters](http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/mythbusters.html) did this one. It took appx. 3500 balloons for a 44 lb child. 79.54 balloons per lb=14,319 ---
**Author:** ![Ins\_Outs\_What-have-yous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8797f3/32.png) [@Ins\_Outs\_What-have-yous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ins_Outs_What-have-yous)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ballons-would-it-take-to-lift-you-off-the-ground/365798/3 "2006-07-24T13:47:25Z")
[Thy Master Speaketh](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_131.html) about a man who used 42 _weather balloons_ filled with helium to lift him while seated in a lawn chair. These were not regular latex party balloons, but the story is worth mentioning in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![rhiannon777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dfb087/32.png) [@rhiannon777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhiannon777)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ballons-would-it-take-to-lift-you-off-the-ground/365798/4 "2006-07-24T14:16:00Z")
There’s a mathematical (physics) way to figure this out if anyone’s interested… ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ballons-would-it-take-to-lift-you-off-the-ground/365798/5 "2006-07-24T14:32:51Z")
Gaseous helium has a density of 0.1785 kg per cubic meter, and air has a density of (about) 1.2 kg per cubic meter. That means that for each cubic meter of helium attached to your mass, you’re replacing 1.2kg of (neutrally-buoyant) air with 1.1215 kg of lifting force. If you include the mass of the deflated balloons and string in your own weight _W_, then the number _N_ of balloons that can each hold _V_ cubic meters of helium should be: N = W / (1.1215\*V) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-ballons-would-it-take-to-lift-you-off-the-ground/365798/6 "2006-07-24T14:40:53Z")
I realize you’re a guest and can’t search, but we’ve covered this subject in many different forms. > **[I attaching weather balloons to body harness a viable means of air travel?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=337762)** > > Get a nice automobile seat like this with seat belts. Get weather balloons, fill them up, attach them and away you go into the wild blue yonder! Strap a parachute to the back of the seat “just in case” and take along an accurate pistol to pop them... > **[Balloon Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=164117)** > > This stupid question has been on my mind for a week, and it’s stupid, BUT IM GONNA ASK IT ANYWAY! How many average-sized, helium balloons would it take to lift a 160 pound person? I guess that’s it. Then I thought about it being cool to float way... > **[What was the smallest manned lighter-than-air craft?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=178097)** > > Well, this question’s pretty straight forward, and doesn’t involve existential debating or technical trivia only known by a half dozen dead Soviet scientists. I’m sorry if that disappoints. That said, I was wondering…what was the smallest MANNED... > **[Can enough helium filled balloons make you leap to great heights?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=201132)** > > We’ve all heard the story of the guy who used a lawn chair to soar quite high, I’m wondering if you could use balloons to magnify your jumping height. I would think not. If you use too much helium, you just float, use too little and you you come...