Balloon popping

A balloon pops when the material that makes up its surface tears or shreds, creating a hole.

As a result, the balloon's surface at the edge of the hole pulls away, making it bigger; the high pressure air can then escape through the hole and the balloon pops.

Limpanuparb et al. use popping a balloon as a demonstration to teach about physical and chemical hazards in laboratory safety.

However, if tape is placed on the part where the hole is created, the balloon will not pop since the tape helps reinforce the elastic tension in that area, preventing the edges of the hole pulling away from the center.

[3] cis-1,4-polyisoprene (solid) + organic solvent → cis-1,4-polyisoprene (partly dissolved)[3] Baby oil can also be applied to water balloons to pop them.