For the impedance converter, see the article on balun. In some species of spiders, the practice of using tufts of webbing to be carried by wind currents is also called "ballooning".

A balloon is a flexible bag normally filled with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen or air. Some balloons are purely decorative, others are used for specific purposes. Early balloons were made of dried animal bladders. Modern balloons can be made from materials such as rubber, latex, chloroprene or a nylon fabric. The modern balloon was invented by Michael Faraday in the 1800's, but mass production did not occur until the 1930's.

Use of balloons

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• small balloons (volume of a few litres)
  • toy balloon
  • Papier-mâché
  • balloon animal
  • decoration
  • solar balloon
  • balloon mail as part of a balloon flight competition or to spread information
  • Balloon helicopter
  • Demonstration of rocket propulsion by letting the gas stream away (balloon rocket)
  • Ceiling balloon
• medium balloons (volume of hundreds to thousands of litres)
  • transport of bombs (in World War II, FUGU-Balloon)
  • transport of propaganda (in World War II and in the Cold War)
  • Ceiling balloon
  • Weather balloon used with a Radiosonde
• as fixed balloon
  • for carrying advertising signs
  • to carry antennae for LF and VLF
  • party balloon
• large balloons (volume up to 12000 cubic metres)
  • fixed balloon
    • as manned observation post (before World War II)
    • barrage balloon
    • observation balloon for military reconnaissance
    • positioning atomic bombs for bomb tests in the atmosphere
  • free flying balloons
    • lifting people, usually with a hot air balloon
    • airship actually a buoyant aircraft rather than a balloon
    • research balloon with instrumentation, also to carry telescopes
    • rockoon
    • balloon satellite for space research.
    • espionage balloon for military reconnaissance
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Balloons - Twitter Search

RT @workkiller Creative Hot Air Balloons - http://bit.ly/5Gy6Yx
warrior007 (warrior007) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:33:56 -0000
RT @workkiller Creative Hot Air Balloons - http://bit.ly/5Gy6Yx
You and I in a little toy shop buy a bag of balloons w. the money we've got. Set them free at the break of dawn til one by one they are gone
holaxlola (Laura Contini) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:26:26 -0000
You and I in a little toy shop buy a bag of balloons w. the money we've got. Set them free at the break of dawn til one by one they are gone
@ddeboer I suppose those are supposed to be balloons, but they look suspiciously like an illustration re: sexual reproduction...
cjhubbs (Chris Hubbs) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:25:37 -0000
@ddeboer I suppose those are supposed to be balloons, but they look suspiciously like an illustration re: sexual reproduction...
RT @jogerodo: mto mexida a foto! RT petapixel Thousands of biodegradable balloons released in Sao Paulo, Brazil: http://j.mp/5LHdwn
CarolSB (Carolina Sangiovanni) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:23:46 -0000
RT @jogerodo: mto mexida a foto! RT petapixel Thousands of biodegradable balloons released in Sao Paulo, Brazil: http://j.mp/5LHdwn
@arsenalmos might be balloons.
laurencoleman (Lauren Coleman) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:14:24 -0000
@arsenalmos might be balloons.
My girlfriend @shoetrumpet (in Virginia) had a load of Spiderman and assorted other balloons sent to my work. I'm one lucky geek.
chrisamayo (chrisamayo) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:10:21 -0000
My girlfriend @shoetrumpet (in Virginia) had a load of Spiderman and assorted other balloons sent to my work. I'm one lucky geek.

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