Playing with FIRE!!!!

Current Obsession : Fire

Activities : How to light a match
How to hold a lite match without burning your finger
Looking at the dynamics of a match, what's that funny smell?
Glass over candle experiment

Observation :
That funny smell is called sulfur, same stuff fireworks made of. Jnr remembered that fireworks was first invented in Ancient China. When the bamboo chopstick got on fire, it demonstarted to him how the chinese invented candles, which is bamboo stick with moulded wax on it.

Melting wax and burning paper towel
That paper towel mixed together with melted wax together burns longer (oil lamp)
That paper towel wrap around wax coated satay sticks makes burning torch.
That wax is a reversable item. Melt into liquid, cools to solid form again.
Paper towel is a irreversible item. Burns into ashes. Cools into carbon form.

Wax is what was used in the special effects of the melting face scene in Indiana Jones. The melting head was just many layers of colour wax, moulded onto a skeleton frame.

This activity proved that Fire indeed is a very useful item, however it can also get out of hand very easily. Hence I'm pleased see that Jnr knew what was required to put out an out of control plate of burning wax. Put a wet towel over it.

We looked at the "glass over the candle on the plate" experiment, and observe how the lack of air will extinguish the flame. I then put some water on the plate, and repeat the process again. This time, when the candle goes out, water was being sucked into the glass. Which suggest a sucking motion was in process due to the flame going out.

MamaGecko made her own candle using a toilet roll with a birthday candle in the middle, and pouring all those melted wax into it.

I think we've learnt about the relationship between oxygen and fire. Science once again proved to Jnr that there's always a method or reason behind everything we see, and science certainly play a big part in all of his favourite movie special effects.

So the question being asked and discussed is how was fire first started, and then discovered. How did humankind stumble across fire in 10,000BC? Was it by accident that the caveman realised that fire changes the condition of raw food?

Next lesson:- We've seen on discovery channel how to start fire by rubbing 2 pieces of dry wood together. But how do one start fire using a magnifying glass?