How Do Fireworks Work?

Are you interested in science and have you ever wondered how do fireworks work? Fireworks are a type of low explosive pyrotechnic device that have been used for entertainment purposes since their invention. Fireworks explode into light, noise, confetti, or smoke. While most individuals have seen fireworks before, not everyone knows the science behind them. What are fireworks composed of, and how do fireworks work?

There is more than one type of fireworks. Fireworks include firecrackers, aerial shells, and sparklers. Each type of firework operates a little differently.

• A firecracker is a small explosive device that is designed to emit a large noise.
• An aerial shell is a type of firework that is shot up into the sky and explodes into a burst of light and sound.
• A sparkler is a handheld firework that burns slowly and thoroughly while producing colored flames and sparks. These types of fireworks are the ones that are frequently used in firework displays.

Thus, each firework is different, and the answer to how do fireworks work depends upon which type of firework you are considering.

Firecrackers

Firecrackers were the type of fireworks that were first created and were in use long before the first Europeans mastered fireworks. In their most basic form, firecrackers are gunpowder that is wrapped in paper. There is then a fuse that comes out of the paper.

The gunpowder is composed of about seventy five percent potassium nitrate, fifteen percent charcoal carbon or alternatively fifteen percent sugar, and ten percent sulfur.

When the fuse is lit, the materials then react against each other explode. The charcoal operates as the fuel in the firecracker, the potassium nitrate operates as the oxidizer in the firecracker, and the sulfur is the base for the reaction. The final ingredient is the oxygen from the air, which then reacts against the carbon to form carbon dioxide.

The ingredients react against each other to form nitrogen, the carbon dioxide discussed above, and potassium sulfide. When the fuse is light, the gases expand. The expanding nitrogen and the expanding carbon dioxide then explode through the paper that surrounds it, and this is what emits the loud bang.

Aerial Shells

Most aerial shells use gunpowder to be launched and to explode in the air. An aerial shell looks like a much bigger version of a firecracker—it is a large tube with a fuse coming out of it. However, there are two steps for how the aerial shell works:

• In the first step, the fuse that connects to the gunpowder is used to launch the shell into the air. There is a hole at the bottom of the firework. The expanding nitrogen and carbon that is used to explode the firecracker is used to send it high in the sky.
• After it is launched in the sky, the second stage occurs. There is another shell which is filled with more gunpowder, oxidizer, and colorants. This explodes similar to how a firecracker explodes, and the sky is littered with the colorants. By packing the contents of the inner shell in different compositions and ways, engineers can change and alter the shape of aerial shells.

Sparklers

Sparklers work differently. A sparkler is a chemical solution that is then molded onto a stick of wire. The chemical solution can be more than one ingredient. For example, one chemical solution might include potassium perchlorate and dextrin. This is then mixed with water to form almost a paste.

This paste is then molded around the wire, or poured into a tube that surrounds the wire. When the mold dries, your sparkler is complete. The fuel and the oxidizer in the sparkler chemical solution are in different proportions, and this is able to slow down how quickly the sparkler burns.

The mold is then dipped in aluminum flakes such as iron, steel, zinc, or magnesium. These flakes then burn off when the sparkler is lit, and this creates the sparkling effect. Color can also be added to the mixture, creating colorful sparklers.