How does a flame move?

On Earth, gravity determines how the flame burns. All the hot gases in the flame are much hotter (and less dense) than the surrounding air, so they move upward toward lower pressure. This is why fire typically spreads upward, and it's also why flames are always "pointed" at the top.

What makes a flame move?

When that cooler air is heated, it too rises up and is replaced by cooler air at the base of the flame. This creates a continual cycle of upward moving air around the flame (a convection current), which gives the flame its elongated or teardrop shape.

How does a flame work?

Fire is the result of applying enough heat to a fuel source, when you've got a whole lot of oxygen around. As the atoms in the fuel heat up, they begin to vibrate until they break free of the bonds holding them together and are released as volatile gases. These gases react with oxygen in the surrounding atmosphere.

Why do flames move upwards?

Basically the continuous movement of hot air going up displaces cooler air down to the side which then gets heated up again and move upwards causing the distinctive shape of the flame and which is why it points only upwards.

Why does a candle flame move with sound?

The air particles are moving backwards and forwards a greater distance and the candle flame moves with them. Each air particle has more energy because it is moving more quickly – each air particle moves a greater distance in the same amount of time as one in a quieter wave of the same frequency.

What Is Fire?

How does fire react to sound?

Since sound waves can move oxygen and fire through pressure from their vibrations, this specific frequency of sound wave works to separate the flame molecules from the surrounding oxygen, effectively starving the fire and snuffing out the flame.

Why do candles flicker?

When you light a candle the flame is sustained by a constant flow of oxygen and melted candle wax. The wick of the candle pulls up the liquid wax, which is present around the flame. This action keeps the flame going. Now when the amount of oxygen or wax that the flame is getting gets disrupted, the flame flickers.

Does fire travel up or down?

Unlike humans, fires usually travel uphill much faster than downhill. The steeper the slope, the faster the fire travels. Fires travel in the direction of the ambient wind, which usually flows uphill.

Can fire exist without oxygen?

Air is made-up of about 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen and less than 1% other gases including carbon dioxide and water vapor. Fire only needs about 16% oxygen to burn. Without oxygen, fires won't burn.

Why is fire against gravity?

Without gravity, hot air expands but doesn't move upward. The flame persists because of the diffusion of oxygen, with random oxygen molecules drifting into the fire.

How does fire start answer?

Fires start when a flammable or a combustible material, in combination with a sufficient quantity of an oxidizer such as oxygen gas or another oxygen-rich compound (though non-oxygen oxidizers exist), is exposed to a source of heat or ambient temperature above the flash point for the fuel/oxidizer mix, and is able to ...

What is fire physics?

“The physics of combustion determine when and where we have a fire. Basically, in order to have combustion you need fuel, something burnable; you need oxygen, which we're surrounded by; and then you need a source of energy to kick start the combustion reaction.

What is a flame made of?

Most flames are made of hot gas, but some burn so hot they become plasma. The nature of a flame depends on what is being burnt. A candle flame will primarily be a mixture of hot gases (air and vaporised paraffin wax). The oxygen in the air reacts with the paraffin to produce heat, light and carbon dioxide.

What is the hottest color of fire?

Blue flames are the hottest, followed by white. After that, yellow, orange and red are the common colours you'll see in most fires. It's interesting to note that, despite the common use of blue as a cold colour, and red as a hot colour – as they are on taps, for instance – it's the opposite for fire.

Why is fire orange?

The orange in a campfire comes not only from the temperature, but from the sodium in the firewood. You might see blue streaks from carbon and hydrogen in the wood. When gas burns on your kitchen stove, it creates a blue flame. In the chemistry lab, you can see green or blue flames from copper and red from lithium.

What state of matter is fire?

Like a gas, it expands to fill the volume in which it's contained, whereas a flame does not. But what we can conclude (for now) is that, of the fundamental states of matter, fire is most like a plasma.

Why is Blue fire the hottest?

Blue flames usually appear at a temperature between 2,600º F and 3,000º F. Blue flames have more oxygen and get hotter because gases burn hotter than organic materials, such as wood. When natural gas is ignited in a stove burner, the gases quickly burn at a very high temperature, yielding mainly blue flames.

Is there fire on the sun?

Answer: The Sun does not "burn", like we think of logs in a fire or paper burning. The Sun glows because it is a very big ball of gas, and a process called nuclear fusion is taking place in its core.

Is it possible for fire to be cold?

A cool flame or invisible flame is a flame having maximal temperature below about 400 °C (752 °F). It is usually produced in a chemical reaction of a certain fuel-air mixture. Contrary to conventional flame, the reaction is not vigorous and releases very little heat, light, and carbon dioxide.

Do fires move uphill?

One of the first things wildland firefighters learn is that fires burn much faster uphill. It's simple physics: heat rises, so the heat from the fire warms and dries out the upslope fuels fastest.

Do fires always burn uphill?

The steepness of the slope affects both the rate and direction of the fire spread. Fires usually move faster uphill than downhill and the steeper the slope, the faster the fire will move.

Can fire burn underwater?

With careful application, a sustained fire can be created even underwater. Plasma cutting is a procedure for underwater burning in Baltimore that cuts electrically conductive materials. It's a method suitable for different types of metals including steel, aluminum, copper, and more.

Why does the flame dance?

Any bursts of air that cause your candle flame to dance around also cause your wick to use fuel at an inconsistent pace. The wick is drawing oil from the candle wax as fuel, and a buildup is created within the wick. Bursts of air cause the flame to burn less oil than the wick is taking in.

What does staring at a candle do?

The practice, also known as trataka, involves focusing on a single object, such as a candle, for a few minutes or longer. Candle gazing meditation may improve focus, cognition, mental health, sleep, and spiritual wellness.

What does a tall candle flame mean?

The most common reason for a tall flame is when the length of your candle wick is too long. You can fix this issue by using a wick trimmer to cut your wick down to 1/4 inch above the solid wax before every burn and once every 4 hours if you like to keep it burning.