Leo is a fire sign. What is fire? How does is start? Is it matter? Does it matter?

FIRE (Summarized from passages at (http://www.fire-wind.net/about_fire.htm)

Whether it’s a tiny flame on a birthday candle or a wall of flame 200 feet tall in a forest, all fire is essentially the same. Fire is a chemical reaction.

Fire is an energy release. It happens when oxygen combines with a combustible (burnable) material at a very high temperature (about 617 degrees F, 325 degrees C for wood to burn). (Click on the arrow to practice converting Fahrenheit to Celsius)

Fuel (the material that burns, like wood and gasoline), heat and oxygen go together to produce fire. Combined, they are called the “fire triangle.” A triangle needs three sides. Take away one of the sides and the triangle collapses. The same is true of fire. Take away any of the three components of fire-fuel, heat or oxygen and the fire collapses, meaning that it can’t burn. That's what fire fighters try to do - eliminate a side of the triangle.

For example, when firefighters dig a line around a fire, fuel is removed. When water is dropped on a fire, it reduces the heat. Retardant, a thick, soupy material, coats the burning fuel and keeps it from getting oxygen.

A fire needs air that contains at least 16% oxygen; the earth’s atmosphere is 21%. During a typical day, the earth receives about 8 million lightning strikes. If those strikes have enough fuel and heat, a fire will start. It will continue as the heat increases: the more fuel, the higher the heat! As heat increases, the faster the fire spreads. The fire begins to feed itself and take on a life of its own. Fires can create their own weather patterns. A very large fire can create winds up to 120 miles per hour!

MATH/SCIENCE CHALLENGE (WHEN YOU COMPLETE THE ITEMS ON THE PAGE, PRINT THE PAGE AND PLACE IT IN YOUR FOLDER BEFORE CONTINUING.)

Click on the link below. You will see a chart showing the composition of air, in its purer state, that is. The amount of each component varies, depending on the place. Complete the information below after you have read and studied the table, Composition of Air.

http://www.mistupid.com/chemistry/aircomp.htm

1. List the two major components of air.

2. Write the name of 5 components in air followed by their symbols.

3. If the air a person breathes in contains 20 % and .033% carbon dioxide, how much change will occur in the air when that person breathes out?

Oxygen by %.

Carbon dioxide by %.

4. What do you think happens to pollute the air we breathe?

More sites to visit and explore!

http://www.chem.ucl.ac.uk/prospectus/why.shtml - What is chemistry?

http://science.howstuffworks.com/fire1.htm

Write Your Name:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PRINT THE PAGE AND PLACE IT IN YOUR FOLDER BEFORE CONTINUING.

Click on the arrow to return to the Main Page