Happy Fourth of July, everybody! Here's a little information on fireworks:
Fireworks... When we see them, we probably think of Fourth of July. But have you ever stopped and thought about how fireworks are made or things like that? I know I haven't, until now.
Fireworks use something called black powder. Black powder is comprised of mainly potassium nitrite with sulfur and carbon. Wires are covered with fuel as well as well as something to make it burn (like black powder) called an oxidizing agent. This is what happens with a sparkler, which produces many sparks but burns slowly. As for firecrackers, the black powder is wrapped tightly in a paper tube, and when the fuse is lit, it explodes. BANG!
But you're probably wondering about the fireworks that are launched in the sky. These are called aerial fireworks. They are similar to both firecrackers and sparklers. They are launched into the sky within small rockets, or launched out of a tube. These fireworks have something called a lifting charge that is filled with black powder, and when lit, it propels it into the sky. When the lit fuse reaches a certain height, it explodes. Tiny packets of chemicals called stars are released.
The color depends on the type of chemicals in the fireworks. When a thing burns, a specific frequency of light is given off, which is seen as color to us. Aluminum or magnesium give off white, lithium or strontium gives off red, copper gives off blue, calcium gives off orange, barium gives off green, and sodium gives off yellow.
Some fireworks are more complicated- these are comprised of several shells that burst at different times. The shells could also have different kinds of stars. The sound fireworks make also differs; they can whistle and crackle, or make more of a booming noise.
But I have to warn you- don't go shooting off your own fireworks everywhere, because it could be dangerous. Serious burns can be caused from even sparklers, which burn at temperatures of hundreds of degrees. 12,000 Americans need to go to the emergency room every year because of firework accidents. So just leave the fireworks to the experts; they do put on great show!
Fun Facts:
Black powder was discovered around 1,100 years ago in China.
Fireworks were used by Chinese to scare off mountain men.
Aerial shells were invented in Italy.
It's illegal to buy fireworks in New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island.
Sources:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/14-fun-facts-about-fireworks-180951957/?no-ist
BrainPOP "Fireworks"
Picture from: http://www.chesterlandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Fotolia_8425271_M.jpg
Fireworks... When we see them, we probably think of Fourth of July. But have you ever stopped and thought about how fireworks are made or things like that? I know I haven't, until now.
Fireworks use something called black powder. Black powder is comprised of mainly potassium nitrite with sulfur and carbon. Wires are covered with fuel as well as well as something to make it burn (like black powder) called an oxidizing agent. This is what happens with a sparkler, which produces many sparks but burns slowly. As for firecrackers, the black powder is wrapped tightly in a paper tube, and when the fuse is lit, it explodes. BANG!
But you're probably wondering about the fireworks that are launched in the sky. These are called aerial fireworks. They are similar to both firecrackers and sparklers. They are launched into the sky within small rockets, or launched out of a tube. These fireworks have something called a lifting charge that is filled with black powder, and when lit, it propels it into the sky. When the lit fuse reaches a certain height, it explodes. Tiny packets of chemicals called stars are released.
The color depends on the type of chemicals in the fireworks. When a thing burns, a specific frequency of light is given off, which is seen as color to us. Aluminum or magnesium give off white, lithium or strontium gives off red, copper gives off blue, calcium gives off orange, barium gives off green, and sodium gives off yellow.
Some fireworks are more complicated- these are comprised of several shells that burst at different times. The shells could also have different kinds of stars. The sound fireworks make also differs; they can whistle and crackle, or make more of a booming noise.
But I have to warn you- don't go shooting off your own fireworks everywhere, because it could be dangerous. Serious burns can be caused from even sparklers, which burn at temperatures of hundreds of degrees. 12,000 Americans need to go to the emergency room every year because of firework accidents. So just leave the fireworks to the experts; they do put on great show!
Fun Facts:
Black powder was discovered around 1,100 years ago in China.
Fireworks were used by Chinese to scare off mountain men.
Aerial shells were invented in Italy.
It's illegal to buy fireworks in New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island.
Sources:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/14-fun-facts-about-fireworks-180951957/?no-ist
BrainPOP "Fireworks"
Picture from: http://www.chesterlandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Fotolia_8425271_M.jpg