How much weight can a chinese lantern support?

the_syco

Does anyone know how much weight can a chinese (sky) lantern support? Would it support a few grams? I'd be thinking of the larger ones.

I'm asking as everyone knows what a chinese lantern is, as it's an orange glowing thing. What I'm thinking of doing is to attach an LED a battery and some very basic circuit to make it blink onto the sides of the chinese lantern, and to have maybe two or three tied to each other with thread so that they'd stay together.

Make the UFO people get excited ^.^

The Jammy dodger

syco..........

Swampy

Twelvty

CoolHat

I've lit a few and they cant hold much weight. A slight touch of a finger on the supporting string can keep them down.

As for a battery and circuit? :pac:
Unlikely op.

Gee Bag

A chinese lantern can exactly support the weight of a petrol soaked kitten, go ahead and give it a try...

kirving

You could work it out, based on air density at different temperatures but it's not woth the hastle since temps vary and so woudl the weight of the lantern.

Have a look at these though, I think they're great!

http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Throwies/

noxqs

Simple to calculate using Archimedes formula,

Lift is equal to the mass of the displaced.

In this case, it is the difference between the hot air being lighter in the container versus the weight of the air of the temperature outside - ie, the displaced air.

You'll have to look up air density at the temperature you're starting at. As the temperature should drop by height you need to achieve at minimum, lift off, at surface temperature.

At 10 degrees the density of air is 1.2466 kg*m^-3. Now calculate the qubic square centimeter or meter depending on size, the temperature of the air inside, and the difference is your lift.

johngalway

They're a fcuking menace those things. Flying incendiary devices which have landed in dry crops in the past. Not sure if they make the wire ones any more but they're a hazard to grazing animals.

But the winding up of UFO merchants is an idea with great merit

geetar

noxqs wrote: »

Simple to calculate using Archimedes formula,

Lift is equal to the mass of the displaced.

In this case, it is the difference between the hot air being lighter in the container versus the weight of the air of the temperature outside - ie, the displaced air.

You'll have to look up air density at the temperature you're starting at. As the temperature should drop by height you need to achieve at minimum, lift off, at surface temperature.

At 10 degrees the density of air is 1.2466 kg*m^-3. Now calculate the qubic square centimeter or meter depending on size, the temperature of the air inside, and the difference is your lift.

id say your a great laugh with the kids.

BASHIR

Could use the rods of an umbrella to make them into a triangular shape??? The only thing I could think of that is light and rigid. Plus roughly three time the lift

Oranage2

I've seen a guy bout 13 stone light one and held on and he flew about 30 foot into the air.

saywhatyousee

I do not think a lantern would fool any ufologist(even with flashing lights)what makes Ufo's strange is there sudden acceleration or de-acceleration or strange movements side to side.No one would be fooled by a lantern moving at a steady speed across the sky.

maddragon

An African or a European Chinese Lantern?

Dotrel

noxqs wrote: »

Simple to calculate using Archimedes formula,

Lift is equal to the mass of the displaced.

In this case, it is the difference between the hot air being lighter in the container versus the weight of the air of the temperature outside - ie, the displaced air.

You'll have to look up air density at the temperature you're starting at. As the temperature should drop by height you need to achieve at minimum, lift off, at surface temperature.

At 10 degrees the density of air is 1.2466 kg*m^-3. Now calculate the qubic square centimeter or meter depending on size, the temperature of the air inside, and the difference is your lift.

Ten degrees what? Fahrenheit? Centigrade?
Qubic?

I'd expect better quality presentation of physics on After Hours tbh.

imitation

the_syco wrote: »

Would it support a few grams?

When I saw this, I thought drug smuggler.

Then afterwards I thought, really inefficient drug smuggler.

murraykil

Excellent question! It should support a few grams, at a guess, up to 100g! I don't think you want to put too much weight on it; what goes up must come down! :pac:

the_syco

noxqs wrote: »

Simple to calculate using Archimedes formula,

Lift is equal to the mass of the displaced.

In this case, it is the difference between the hot air being lighter in the container versus the weight of the air of the temperature outside - ie, the displaced air.

You'll have to look up air density at the temperature you're starting at. As the temperature should drop by height you need to achieve at minimum, lift off, at surface temperature.

At 10 degrees the density of air is 1.2466 kg*m^-3. Now calculate the qubic square centimeter or meter depending on size, the temperature of the air inside, and the difference is your lift.

Aye. Unfortunately due to the risk of creating a fire, the object or liquid causing the heat to lift the lantern mustn't be capable of causing an explosion if it hit a wall or hard surface too quickly.

maddragon wrote: »

An African or a European Chinese Lantern?

What's the difference? Please tell.

saywhatyousee wrote: »

I do not think a lantern would fool any ufologist(even with flashing lights)what makes Ufo's strange is there sudden acceleration or de-acceleration or strange movements side to side.No one would be fooled by a lantern moving at a steady speed across the sky.

Steady easterly breeze over Dublin city centre on a Saturday evening... it'll freak someone out :P

mowhawk

Dotrel wrote: »

Ten degrees what? Fahrenheit? Centigrade?
Qubic?

I'd expect better quality presentation of physics on After Hours tbh.

Physics only uses centigrade

Chuck Stone

They can support the weight of a Chinese baby girl.

**Timbuk2**

mowhawk wrote: »

Physics only uses centigrade

Except when Kelvin is used, being the SI unit of temperature and all.

ringadingding

saywhatyousee wrote: »

I do not think a lantern would fool any ufologist(even with flashing lights)what makes Ufo's strange is there sudden acceleration or de-acceleration or strange movements side to side.No one would be fooled by a lantern moving at a steady speed across the sky.

You could pull it quickly with fishing line from side to side

Tea_Bag

mowhawk wrote: »

Physics only uses centigrade

physicists never use centigrade.

Hank_Jones

Bout tree fiddy.

Cianos

saywhatyousee wrote: »

I do not think a lantern would fool any ufologist(even with flashing lights)what makes Ufo's strange is there sudden acceleration or de-acceleration or strange movements side to side.No one would be fooled by a lantern moving at a steady speed across the sky.

Yes they would.

CrazyRabbit

They can support 1 alien spacecraft.

CyberJuice

it would support 4 grams of cocaine,ive tried it but as a drug currying technique it is flawed,we tried sending the coke from tallaght to sallynoggin but we ended up chasing the lantern all over the dublin mountains for 2 days


Better just stick to 12 year old boys on pushbikes as a means to transport your drugs

Dartz

OP's asking the wrong question...


How many laterns would it take to support me?

CoolHat

saywhatyousee wrote: »

I do not think a lantern would fool any ufologist(even with flashing lights)what makes Ufo's strange is there sudden acceleration or de-acceleration or strange movements side to side.No one would be fooled by a lantern moving at a steady speed across the sky.

Anyone would wanna be pretty stupid to think they were UFOs :P
But when people first started lighting them around 2 years ago. It did confuse a lot of people

I remember in 2009 seeing them in my area one night and thinking to myself "what the bloody hell is that? too big of a light to be a plane or helicopter" ... then seeing another a few mins later.
Funny thing was I get a text from mate an hour later saying one of the radio talk shows were going on about "glowing orbs in the sky" in my area :pac:

Mate then filled me in to it was just Chinese lanterns :P They definitely grab your attention and confuse first time you see them.

maygitchell

In communist China, lantern supports you!

opendoor2

you are so clever..
how much weight it can hold depends, totally different...

Del2005

the_syco wrote: »

Does anyone know how much weight can a chinese (sky) lantern support? Would it support a few grams? I'd be thinking of the larger ones.

Tie a bag of sand with a hole in it to one, then weight how much sand escapes before it flies away.

It may be a good idea to weigh the sand beforehand.

The Highwayman

maddragon wrote: »

An African or a European Chinese Lantern?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzcLQRXW6B0

Cú Giobach

Sure you can get these things in any size, here is a picture of some that can hold and lift a few people.

goose2005

Don't the RNLI often mistake them for signal flares?

Tabnabs

the_syco; please, please don't do this, it's not as funny as you might think.

http://www.afloat.ie/safety/coastguard/item/14915-coast-guard-appeals-over-chinese-lanterns/

Tabnabs

goose2005 wrote: »

Don't the RNLI often mistake them for signal flares?

No, but the public do and the CG have to react and send out helicopters and/or lifeboats.

Wertz

Better to go with a decent sized helium balloon IMO...and make some of the LEDs flashing and have them light up the underside of the balloon.
Hilarity ensues...

cruiser178

noxqs wrote: »

Simple to calculate using Archimedes formula,

Lift is equal to the mass of the displaced.

In this case, it is the difference between the hot air being lighter in the container versus the weight of the air of the temperature outside - ie, the displaced air.

You'll have to look up air density at the temperature you're starting at. As the temperature should drop by height you need to achieve at minimum, lift off, at surface temperature.

At 10 degrees the density of air is 1.2466 kg*m^-3. Now calculate the qubic square centimeter or meter depending on size, the temperature of the air inside, and the difference is your lift.

I was with you right up to calculate.