Intestinal gas

[gastwo]

I dont mean to cause any offence with this question - its just a light hearted one...

Do you weigh more or less after breaking wind?

[VictrMeldrew]

LESS. After all, air has weight and I suppose this includes a fart. If you weigh an un-inflated balloon and then blow it up, you will find an increase in weight. Just to take this further, perhaps you could actually capture the broken wind into a balloon and weigh it (having first weighed the empty balloon) and this will be the amount of weight that you have lost. DO PLEASE let us know the results of your experiment.

[stevie_c2it]

Vic, your a bit off the mark. Intestinal gas is lighter than air (and flamable - what fun!). So no your not lighter - unless you follow through that is!

[snook]

Doesn't matter if it's lighter than air, it still has weight, no matter how small. If anything leaves your body, solid, liquid or gas, you must surely be lighter as a result, no matter by how little. If I've got this completely wrong, it is nearly one o'clock and I'm tired, okay? Just thought I'd put my 2p worth in having seen the question, but I'm off to bed now. Might visit the bathroom first and get myself a little lighter first though...

[amaham]

Can't help you there, but I know you sure feel better after!!

[WendyS]

Not much difference I guess, but another blow to the ozone layer !!

[woofgang]

lighter after, even if the gas is lighter than air, that doesn't make it weightless

[stevie_c2it]

Snook / woofgang, you both need more sleep, and stop bunking off those science lessons.

The answer in more detail:

Hypothetically, if your body continued to fill with hydrogen and methane (The two main constituents of intestinal gas) without any way of release (i.e without breaking wind) your body would start to weigh less and less (these gases are lighter than air, and are therefore used in balloons to lift people into the air).

Gravity ring any bells?

Likewise, when these gasses are released, you would weigh more, just as if you stepped on a set of scales and weighed yourself while holding a balloon filled with hydrogen you would weigh less than you would when you released it. Phew, hope thats clear at last.

Just a point to bear in mind for the future Snook / Woofgang, iIf you really don't know the answer, don't you think it would be better not to create confusion by contradicting the people that do?

[woofgang]

what, and spoil your fun??

[woofgang]

....also your answer is based on the person being in an atmosphere.....what about in a vacuum?

[stevie_c2it]

Human beings can't exisit in a vacuum woofgang, I think the question you are trying to ask is, what effect would it have in space? I.e In a spacesuit, in a weightless environment? Other than the obvious - none either way.

However, if you want to test the effect in a vacuum, taking the helmet off would would be an entertaining experiment, as you would (fatally) 'break wind' from every cavity in your body.