As the balloon or airship ascends the density of the air
decreases as the height is increased. As an illustration of this
the barometer falls, as everyone knows, the higher it is taken,
and it is accurate to say that up to an elevation of 10,000 feet
it falls one inch for every 1,000 feet rise. It follows that as
the pressure of the air decreases, the volume of the gas
contained expands at a corresponding rate. It has been shown
that a balloon filled with 1,000 feet of hydrogen has a lift of
70 lb. under normal conditions, that is to say, at a barometric
pressure of 80 inches. Taking the barometric pressure at 2
inches lower, namely 28, we get the following figures:
1,000 cubic feet of air weighs 70 lb.
1,000 cubic feet of hydrogen weighs 4.67 "
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65.33 lb.
It is therefore seen that the very considerable loss of lift,
4.67 lb. per 1,000 cubic feet, takes place with the barometric
pressure 2 inches lower, from which it may be taken approximately
that 1/30 of the volume gross lift and weight is lost for every
1,000 feet rise. From this example it is obvious that the
greater the pressure of the atmosphere, as indicated by the
barometer, the greater will be the lift of the airship or
balloon.
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