What are Fireworks

Unless you have been living under a rock for several centuries, chances are that you know a thing or two about fireworks.

They are the ones that are lit during special occasions such as New Year. They give off bright and colorful lights which never fail to give people a sense of awe and wonder.

But aside from those things, can something more be said about fireworks? Actually, there are a lot of topics which can be discussed about them but we'll start with the most basic ones.

First of all, fireworks aim to produce three primary effects which are noise, light and smoke. It is evident in every firework although the amount of each effect varies.

Take for example a simple firecracker. It is a form of firework which produces a lot of noise and maybe smoke but only a little light is produced.

Then there are the different colors emitted by fireworks. These colors are produced by using certain compounds. A particular compound emits a certain color when exposed to a flame.

For example, red is produced by putting strontium or lithium into the firework while a gold flame can be produced by using charcoal, iron or lampblack.

Finally, there's the issue of safety.

When handled incorrectly, fireworks can cause fire and even mutilation of body parts especially in the case of more powerful varieties.

Safe practices should therefore be done when handling them such as mechanically lighting them and keeping them away from flammable materials. Read more...