How+do+fireworks+work?


 * __HOW DO FIREWORKS WORK?__**

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Questions of science:

By: Heidi / December. 16 - 2011

Question: How do fireworks work?

The great entertainment of a firework is a little more complex then we think. Considering that the Chinese invented fireworks over one thousand years ago, fireworks have clearly become more complex over time. There are different types of fireworks. Firecrackers, which are the original kind of firework. Sparklers which are small long sticks you would put on a cake or carry on New Years Eve, and aerial shells which are ball-shaped fireworks that are loaded into a mortar tube and fired into the air and then explode causing fireworks. Now there are many, many kinds of fireworks hundreds of different types, but these three fireworks that i have just mentioned are from three different categories and all very different, also they are all very common, and will give you the main idea of how fireworks work.

Now lets get down to the science of fireworks how they really work. Keep in mind these three different types of fireworks all operate differently.

Our original fireworks which are the firecrackers are simple fireworks containing of a rolled paper tube filled with gunpowder with a fuse at the top. The banger is lit and then in most cases throw in the air where after a short pause the banger explodes with a loud bang. Now this type of firecracker is band and can mostly only be bought in France and Spain. The reason behind this is because they were being misused and became a safety hazard.

A sparkler is another kind of firework this firework is a chemical mixture that is usually in the shape of a stick or wire. The chemicals that are used for sparklers are often are mixed with water to form a substance that can be dipped on using a wire. Once the mixture dries, you have a sparkler! Aluminum, iron, steel, zinc or magnesium dust or flakes are usually the materials used to make the sparkling colours that come from the sparkler. A variety of chemicals can be added to create colors. Some other chemicals are key, so that the sparkler burns slowly rather than exploding like a firecracker. Once one end of the sparkler is burning and has then burnt out it will just burn to the other end unless blown out.

Then there is the colourful and wonderful firework the aerial shell. The aerial shell is a little more complex then the previous fireworks though but is still a common firework used in celebrations, but this kind of firework along with most other fireworks have been band for sale to the public. But can still be used with the right consent. Now the aerial shells is shot into the sky by: In some cases compressed air as a propellant and exploded using an electronic timer. But most aerial shells are launched using the power of gunpowder. Aerial shells using gunpowder work like two stage rockets. The steps to igniting aerial shells are first part containing gunpowder it lit by using fuse. The expanding nitrogen and carbon dioxide gases explode out of a hole at the bottom of the aerial shells, these gases are what launch the firework high in the sky. The second step of the aerial shell is a package of gunpowder, more oxidizer (Oxidizer is a combining or combined chemically with oxygen) and colorants (Colorants which is a dye, pigment, or other substance that colors). The packing shape and size of the three components determines the shape of the firework.

Well there you have it three different kinds of fireworks and how they work. I hope you learn’t a lot about fireworks and their different properties.

Resources: http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingswork/a/fireworks.htm

http://www.firework-review.org.uk/bangers-chinese-crackers-aerial-shells/

http://www.planet-science.com/categories/over-11s/technology/2011/11/how-do-fireworks-work.aspx

http://sciencetheatre.org/ask_st/071796.html

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/fireworks.htm http://www.pyroinnovations.com/pyroinfo.html

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