What is Helium?

Helium is a chemical element with the symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table.

Properties of Helium

Helium is the second lightest element and is the second most abundant element in the observable universe, being present at about 24% of the total elemental mass, which is more than 12 times the mass of all the heavier elements combined. Some key properties of helium include:

Boiling Point: -268.9 degrees Celsius
Melting Point: -272.2 degrees Celsius
Density: 0.1785 grams per liter
Non-flammable
Low solubility in water

Uses of Helium

Helium has a variety of important uses, including:

Filling balloons to make them float
Cooling in cryogenics for MRI machines and other medical equipment
Gas for deep-sea diving and industrial processes
Particle accelerators and other high-energy physics experiments
Gas for airships and balloons

Fun Facts about Helium

Here are some interesting and fun facts about helium:

It was first discovered on the sun before it was found on Earth
Helium is the only element that was discovered in space before it was found on Earth
It is used to pressurize and purge the fuel tanks in rockets
Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, but it is relatively rare on Earth

◂Science Worksheets and Study Guides Second Grade. The sun and earth

Vocabulary/Answer key

The sun and earth

The resources above cover the following skills:

Concepts of Earth Science: A student should understand and be able to apply the concepts, processes, theories, models, evidence, and systems of earth and space sciences. A student who meets the content standard should:

Develop an understanding of the cyclical changes controlled by energy from the sun and by Earth's position and motion in our solar system.