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| My husband holding the sparks |
My husband and I
were playing with sparklers last night in anticipation of the
American Independence Day. Being the scientist I am, I immediately
wondered about the shapes, colors, and chemical reactions of sparklers. I was
able to find out a lot of information about the chemistry of these
simple fireworks, which is so interesting! But I'm a physicist, I
want to understand the physics.
In general, sparks are created when a strong electric field accelerates free electrons, creating ions and freeing more electrons. This creates an electrically conductive area, allowing for a sudden flow of electricity. However, this is not the kind of sparks that sparklers create.
Pyrotechnics, fire caused by chemical reactions, is what fuels sparkler fun. Sparklers burn metallic fuel explosively, producing branching sparks. Common sparkler fuels include aluminium, magnesium, magnalium, iron, titanium, and ferrotitanium. I don't understand the physics of the branching process and I was unable to find a resource describing it. If
anyone reading this knows more, please comment below!
Fireworks are
fascinating and beautiful, but fireworks of a bigger kind are even
better. I'm still learning how to use my new telephoto lens, but I
still managed to capture the powerful fireworks below. Happy
birthday, America!
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| SpaceX Falcon 9 launch on May 27, 2016 |
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| SpaceX Falcon 9 launch on June 15, 2016 |
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| ULA Atlas V launch on June 24, 2016 |
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