Biology Question

The Core RPGC Main Forum
1

I don’t know if I ever asked this before, excuse me if I did.

Poke a puffer fish and it’ll puff by filling its belly with water, growing a few times its size and getting into a more round shape.

Now, suppose you make an experiment in some way that it swallows helium instead of water. I don’t know, maybe a hose connected to its mouth or something. The question is, would the cause the subject to float out of the water and into the air? And if so, would controlled flight be possible by this manner?

Justify your answers.

2

the fish wouldn’t survive being filled with helium. And it depends on how heavy the fish is and how much helium you could put inside it. Obviously it has a limited amount of space with which to insert helium. Any control mechanisms would add to the weight and so. No. You couldn’t do what you’re suggesting.

EDIT

Adult puffer fish weigh 20 to 30 pounds (9 to 13.5 kg).

Good size normal balloon has about 10-15 Liter volume.

Helium has 0.1786g / L density, Air has 1.292g / L.

Difference is the lifting force, 1.292-0.1786 = 1.113 g / L.

Figure 12.5 Liters x 1.113 g / L = about 14 grams.

454 grams / pound divided by 14 = about 32 balloons.

So, to lift a pound, you would need about 30-35 good size ‘normal’ balloons.

But that’s like a fish with water and guts inside. If you hollow the fish out, and put in a helium balloon, and inflate the balloon, you might be able to do it… I dunno… It would be difficult. and you could add like a toy helicopter it might give enough lift.

But really I have no idea.

3

I believe it wouldn’t work, I mean the fish needs to be in a water environment to breathe, so it would have a hard time doing anything outside of water!

4

I think I saw an episode of Mythbusters where they must have blown up at least 3,500 balloons just to lift a little girl like one foot off the ground.

5

Paging Dr. Sin. Dr. Sin for biology question.

6

I haven’t independently verified what Charl said, but I concede to his calculations nonetheless.

7

This seems more like a physics question to me

8

It is a physics question. It you used a priest instead of a pufferfish as your example it wouldn’t be a theology question, either.

A party balloon is actually more like 8 litres. you’d need about 1350 balloons to lift an adult pufferfish of 12 kg.

9

But what if you do it to try and reach Heaven?

10

Then you would need a stairway, and it would be a Led Zeppelinology question

11

What if you puffed up a puffer fish…with WEED!!! puff puff everyday all the time hey relax chill doods its 420 somewhere in the world right

12

Either way the pufferfish won’t like it.

13

Fuck this awful thread. It was labeled "biology question’ in a sad ploy to get Sinistral in here to go on one of his rants (which Ren gets off on) But Sin was too savvy to fall for it.

14

so savvy

15

So how much helium would a Led Zeppelin need to fly?

16

Not feasible. gtfo.

17

Mythbusters, yo.

18

No, I really thought it would be a biology question, mostly because I was thinking about keeping the fish alive (I think it would still be able to breath on air, given we keep its gills moist), but the impossibility of making it fly has kinda made me sad now =\

History question now: back when people were quitting their nomadic lives for the first time in pre-history and settling down, when man milked a cow for the 1st time - WTF was he thinking?

19

http://www.myuniversalfacts.com/2006/03/how-do-fish-breathe.html

More nipples = more milk.
Milk = nutrients
Nutrients = delay death.

20

Somebody probably saw a calf drink from a cow’s tits and decided to do the same.