Does the balloon go forward, backward, or neither?

The balloon goes forward. The reason it floats is because the air in the car pushes it upward. When the car accelerates forward (left picture), the air is pushed back, and the balloon is pushed forward by the air. Its exactly as if the car were not accelerating forward but instead were parked on a slope (right picture). The child would be pressed back into the seat, and the balloon floats upward, namely toward the front of the car.


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