http://www.lunchboxcollections.com/balloon-pins/
Why can a pin go through a balloon without popping? Something to do with a semi-permeable membrane...?
So why can a pin go through a balloon without popping in a certain way? in my class my teacher demonstrated this and I don't understand how it does that . We are learning about semi-permeable membranes and what not. How does it work???
Just to tie together the first response with the second and third response you received:
The tape on the balloon keeps the rubber from ripping when the pin is stuck into it. Unlike the rubber of the balloon, the tape's plastic is not prone to ripping when stuck with a pin.
There is another way the trick can be done that is even more impressive. You need a very long needle for this (perhaps a meat skewer or a really sharp knitting needle). You start with a balloon that is not blown up too tight. In particular, the top of the balloon should not be stretched tight (you can recognize this, because the rubber at the top will appear darker where it has not been stretched thin due to being inflated).
Start by pushing the large needle through the area at the top of the balloon where the rubber is not stretched. Because the rubber is not under tension, it will not rip and deflate the balloon.
Then push the needle farther and farther into the balloon until the point i at the bottom, near the mouth of the balloon. Here, again, the rubber is not stretched tight, so you can push the needle the rest of the way through, so that you have pierced the balloon in two places and it has not exploded. (It will, however, lose air slowly, so if you put the pierced balloon on display for a long time, it will eventually shrink to its uninflated size.)
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