MadSci Network: Chemistry |
Dear Doug, That's great that a young guy like you knows about different elements making the different colors, WOW! To answer your question about how the fireworks are made, here goes. Fireworks are made with black powder, or what used to be known as gunpowder. Gunpowder, as you know explodes; but only if it is put into a small space and packed very tightly. In the case of a firecracker, and the shells that explode in the sky on the fourth of July, the gunpowder is packed very tightly. The rockets that shoot the shells into the air use gunpowder as well, but one end is not packed tightly. This allows the burning hot gases that are formed when the gunpowder burns to have a place to get out. This is usually at the bottom. The force that is created (its called thrust) moves out of the bottom, downward. The reactant force in the opposite direction (See Issac Newton's Laws of Motion) causes to rocket to go upward. Back to the gunpowder. Gunpowder does not explode, it only burns real fast. Because it burns instead of exploding, it can be used to propel the rocket, and then packed differently to make it explode in the shell in the sky.
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Chemistry.