Can a Helium-Filled Air Mattress Levitate?

Most homes have inflatable mattresses which can be very handy during sleepovers. When filled with air, hopping atop one of these things makes you feel lightweight. How about filling it with helium? Would it make you literally feel like sleeping on a cloud?

In one of his videos, James Orgill of The Action Lab filled an air mattress with several tanks of helium. But with a shortage of helium on the rise, is 80% helium and 20% air mixture enough to provide that magic carpet experience?

To make a long story short, it isn’t. Filling the empty 3.653 kg (8.05 lbs) mattress with helium only reduced its weight down to 3.2 kg (7.05 lbs). While the mattress did get lighter, the helium inside wasn’t enough to lift it slightly off the ground.

You might think it was the 80-20 helium-air mixture that James used, but he explained that it wouldn’t affect the outcome of the experiment that much. According to him, it will take a large volume of dense air to displace anything – let alone an 8-pound uninflated mattress. In order for the mattress to float, James would need about 7 times the amount of air the mattress can hold.

With the experiment sadly concluded, James went on to explain the helium shortage situation in detail. So the next time you want to inhale helium to make your voice all squeaky, you might want to think twice before using up this precious resource!

James Orgill’s The Action Lab YouTube channel is chock-full of easy-to-do experiments which will make you question the nature of the world. Those with inquisitive minds are sure to get a kick out of it!

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