A
balloon is an
inflatable flexible bag filled with a
gas, such as
helium,
hydrogen,
nitrous oxide,
oxygen, or
air. Modern balloons can be made from materials such as
rubber,
latex,
polychloroprene, or a
nylon fabric, while some early balloons were made of dried animal
bladders, such as the
pig bladder.
Some balloons are used for decorative purposes, while others are used for practical purposes such as
meteorology,
medical treatment,
military defense, or
transportation. A balloon's properties, including its low
density and low cost, have led to a wide range of applications. The inventor of the rubber balloon, was
Michael Faraday in 1824, via experiments with various gases.