What does fire do on an atomic level?

The flame: A bunch of hot particles (atoms, or chunks of atoms) that are so hot they give off light. More specifically: their electrons are sucking up energy and jumping up and down the energy levels giving off photons. If your burning wood, we’re talking mostly Carbon, Oxygen and Nitrogen.

How does fire work on a molecular level?

Heated molecules are loosened, moving apart to form a gas. The gas molecules combine with oxygen in the air resulting in burning. The heat generated by the reaction is what sustains the fire. The heat of the flame will keep remaining fuel at ignition temperature.

What happens to fire when it burns?

The process, called pyrolysis, releases atoms and energy. Unbound atoms form a hot gas, mingling with oxygen atoms in the air. Fires burn only when all that atomic shuffling releases enough energy to keep the oxidation going in a sustained chain reaction. More atoms released from the fuel combine with nearby oxygen.

What is the physics behind fire?

Fire is a chemical reaction ,some times hot enough to turn the gas around it into plasma which you can basically think of as a hot ionized gas. You can show that fire can form plasma by putting negatively charged plate on the left of a flame and a positively charged plate on the right of the flame.

Why is fire flammable?

The most flammable compounds contain carbon and hydrogen, which recombine with oxygen relatively easily to form carbon dioxide, water and other gases. Different flammable fuels catch fire at different temperatures. At the unpiloted ignition temperature, which is much higher, the fuel ignites without a spark.

Is fire made of particles?

“What fire really is, is a whole bunch of fragments of molecules that have way too much energy,” Finnegan said. “So they are emitting that energy in the form of heat and light. These items are typically made up of molecules that contain carbon and hydrogen atoms.

What force causes fire?

Fire is a chemical reaction in which energy in the form of heat is produced. When forest fuels burn, there is a chemical combination of the oxygen in the air with woody material, pitch and other burnable elements found in the forest environment. This process in known as Combustion.

Is fire a chemistry or physics?

Fire is a chemical reaction which results in the release of energy in the form of light and heat. Fire is a chemical process, usually a self-sustaining oxydation.

What are things and events at the quantum level?

Things and events at the quantum level of reality behave differently from things and events that are larger. They are indeterminate, meaning that the outcomes of events cannot be predicted in advance, except in statistical terms.

What happens to atoms when they burn?

During combustion, atoms rearrange themselves irreversibly. In other words, when something burns, there’s no un-burning it. Fire also is a glowing reminder of the oxygen that pervades our world. Any flame requires three ingredients: oxygen, fuel and heat.

What is meant by the quantum level of reality?

This level is called the “quantum” level of reality. Things and events at the quantum level of reality behave differently from things and events that are larger. They are indeterminate, meaning that the outcomes of events cannot be predicted in advance, except in statistical terms.

What is the chemical reaction of fire?

A fire’s colorful flame results from a chemical reaction known as combustion. During combustion, atoms rearrange themselves irreversibly. In other words, when something burns, there’s no un-burning it. Fire also is a glowing reminder of the oxygen that pervades our world.