It is so fun to suck helium out of balloons but I have always wondered why helium makes our voices so high. Well now I know why! Helium is less dense than air which means sound waves travel much faster than usual. It can travel to around 900 meters per second. Wow that's fast! Fast moving, higher frequency sounds have more power as they float in the throat but lower frequencies get a bit lost. When we suck helium, it's actually making our voices just squeaky and flatter. I know it's fun to suck helium out of balloons but it can kill you. If you get light-headed from blowing in too much helium, it is your body telling you that you need more oxygen. This can lead to
asphyxiation. If you do have a habit of sucking helium out of balloons, you should stop. Here are the links from the websites and the picture: http://ilovebacteria.com/helium.htm
http://www.howitworksdaily.com/science/question-of-the-day-why-does-helium-make-my-voice-sound-high-pitched/
http://img.medscape.com/news/2012/ts_120315_balloon_helium_teen_300x225.png
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ReplyDeleteHey, did you know that there is also a gas that deepens your voice. I can't remember what it is called but I saw it on tv once. Maybe you could reaserch it.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that! So what does asphyxiation do to your body? I know when you inhale too much helium it isn't good, but is it more severe and damaging? Also, how fast do sound waves travel through the normal air? It seems that the helium sound waves travel really fast!
ReplyDeleteWow! I didn't know that this could kill you. I agree its so much fun doing this. Have you ever gotten lightheaded doing this?
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