Question

What happens to the two small balloons as you push up the big balloon at the bottom

Answer 1

Answer : The lower pressure balloon will expand. ... So, when the valve is opened, the smaller balloon pushes air into the larger balloon. It becomes smaller, and the larger balloon becomes larger.

Answer 2

The lower pressure balloon will expand as you push up the big balloon at the bottom.

Explanation:

• When the valve opens, the smaller balloon pushes air into the larger balloon.
• It gets smaller and big balloons get bigger. When the pressure of the two balloons becomes the same, the airflow stops. One is on the left branch of the pressure curve and the other is on the right branch. Equilibrium is also possible, where both balloons are the same size.
• If the total amount of air in both balloons is less than Np (number of molecules in the balloon),  both balloons will settle to the left of the pressure peak of the same radius.
• On the other hand, if the total number of molecules exceeds Np, the only possible equilibrium is the above equilibrium with one balloon to the left of the peak and one to the right of the peak.
• There is also an equilibrium with both balloons to the right of the pressure peak, but it is unstable.
• This can be easily confirmed by pushing the air back and forth between the two connected balloons.