Physics of Fireworks

2865 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: History of fireworks in Europe

After black powder was discovered by the Chinese in the 9th Century, the relatively short history of fireworks began with this explosive chemical composition. Black powder is made up of potassium nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal (KNO3); in the correct amounts, this combination has very explosive results. The use of black powder sprung forth the evolution of muskets, rockets, and fireworks. Although history has shown that the development of black powder muskets into modern day guns, artillery, and weapons of mass destruction have changed the face of the earth, taken many lives, and changed the outcome of many wars, black powder is also used in many rituals and celebrations.

While traveling the globe, Marco Polo, fascinated by this black powder, brought it back to the West were it soon caught on. In Rome, King Charles V used fireworks to celebrate a victory. The fireworks were developed and made by his “fire workers” who made leaps and bounds with the projectiles and rocket shape of the fireworks. These elaborate demonstrations of fire soon spread through Europe and pleased many spectators of the King and Queens Court.

In the middle ages, Italy and Germany took their displays to another level, incorporating different colors and effects. In Italy, the firework displays were used to accentuation buildings and structures, while in Germany, the focus was more on the fireworks themselves. The name "green men" was coined on account of the people who would cover themselves in leaves to protect their body from sparks and ashes as they launched fireworks from their hands.

As music grew and became a large part of society, the incorporation of music and firework displays became inseparable. The most infamous of all fireworks displays, f...

... middle of paper ...

...ich ended up missing his head, but tearing the front of the coat. Anyone who has ever felt the material on a fire coat can tell you that it would be very difficult to do damage like that to fire coat in a split second.

Bibliography

Lancaster, Ronald, and Butler, Roy E.A., and Lancaster, J. Mark, and Shimizu, Takeo.

Fireworks Principles and Practice. New York: Ticknor, 2002.

Pihko, Petri. “Pyrotechnics – The Art of Fire.” 1998. Online posting. Pihko, Petri. 12

April 2003. http://cc.oulu.fi/~kempmp/pyro.html

ProQuest Information and Learning Company. “Physics of Fireworks.” 2003.

Online posting. Bigchalk – The Education Network. 12 April 2003.

www.bigchalk.com

Russell, Michael S. The Chemistry of Fireworks. York, ME: Stenhouse, 2000.

“The Physics of Colored Fireworks.” 1998. Online posting. 12 April 2003.

http://cc.oulu.fi/~kempmp/pyro.html

Show More
Related

  • Station Fire

    1435 Words  | 3 Pages

    Synopsis In West Warwick, Rhode Island, on February 20th, 2003, during the performance of the band Great White, a fire broke out that eventually claimed the lives of 100 people and injured an additional 200. The band’s tour manager arranged for, and ignited pyrotechnic props, large fireworks designed to display a shower of sparks. Sparks ignited foam soundproofing near stage. The fire spread quickly and quickly.

    Read More

  • Rhode Island Nightclub Fire Incident

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the performance, as part of the act, pyrotechnics were deployed. The pyrotechnics were gerbs. Gerbs are cylindrical devices that are designed to make a spray of 15-foot plumes of sparks for 15 seconds. Gerbs are befitting for use indoors, as long as the appropriate precautions are taken. The pyrotechnics ignited a polyurethane (egg crate foam) material that is used for packing and product display--but not for "sound proofing," as it was used lining the stage. Considering that this foam is not intended for use as a sound treatment in buildings, it was not treated with fire retardants.

    Read More

  • Song Dynasty Essay

    1581 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1044 AD Zeng Gongliang and Yang Weide wrote a treatise called “Wujing Zongyao” or “Collection of the Most Important Military Techniques” in which several formulas for making powerful blasting powder with a large percentage of nitrate were contained. These experiments with and improvements of gunpowder formulas led to more powerful weapons, including bombs (Needham, Joseph (1986e), Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 5, Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Part 7: Military Technology; The Gunpowder Epic, Cambridge: Cambridge University

    Read More

  • Ethnography of Performance

    681 Words  | 2 Pages

    During a musical performance many elements to be looked are not easily recognized by the average critic. A musical performance has multiple interactions taking place between the music, text, performers, audience, and space that all can contribute to a great performance. Overwhelming majority of the audience does not realize so much can be looked at during a single performance. At a performance by the University of Maryland Marching Band I was able to analyze the Musical Sound, Contexts of the Performance, and Interpretation of the Performance.

    Read More

  • Concert Band Research Paper

    1989 Words  | 4 Pages

    The history of the Concert Band and Wind Ensemble will be reflected through a timeline of events, including an analysis of significant events, groups, composers, and advancements. When society envisions a Wind Ensemble, talented musicians, grand music halls, and difficult arrangements typically come to mind. However, a modern-day Wind Ensemble includes a variety of musicians, each with positive and negative aspects. In society today, music is greatly appreciated and accepted. It is considered an honor and a privilege to expose our ears to the music.

    Read More

  • Investigating the Thermal Decomposition Of Metal Carbonates

    2469 Words  | 5 Pages

    It is made mostly of copper carbonate. It can be crushed into a green powder. If this powder is heated it changes colour. A new substance has been made. The new substance is a black powder.

    Read More

  • The Machine Gun

    1364 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Volley Guns” (Chivers, 2010, p.26) or also known as “Organ Guns” (Ellis, 1975, p.10) were first attempts at increasing firepower by adding several barrels at the firing itself, rather than simply attempting to increase the rate of fire. “Gunsmiths had long ago learned to place barrels side by side on frames to create firearms capable of discharging projectiles in rapid succession. These unwieldy devices, or volley guns, were capable in theory of blasting a hole in a line of advancing soldiers” (Chivers, 2010, p.26). An example of such weapons can be seen on July 28, 1835 when Giuseppe Fieshi unleashed terror on King Louis-Phillipe in Paris, France. He fired his 25 barrel “volley gun”, killing 18 of the king's entourage and grazing the King's skull. The weapon was ineffective however. Four of the barrels failed and another four ruptured. Two other barrels had exploded inside, grievously wounding Giuseppe. (Chivers, 2010, p. 27)

    Read More

  • Fireworks

    736 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first thing in a firework is the oxidizing agent. These produce the Oxygen to burn the mixture. Oxidizers are usually nitrates, chlorates or perchlorates. The common oxidizers are nitrates. These are made up of a metal ion and the nitrate ion. I'll use potassium nitrate as an example. Nitrates only give up 1/3 of their oxygen. The resulting equation would look something like this:

    Read More

  • Drug Use at Music Festivals

    1788 Words  | 4 Pages

    We play music loudly with our friends and families at social gatherings and ultimately it creates a friendly and open atmosphere. Now the last thing we would think about would be that at one of these social events one of us may die. In recent years there have been more and more deaths and injuries at musical festivals all throughout the United States. Although the number is much lower than deaths and injuries from automotive accidents they should not be over looked. Music festivals are becoming more and more popular and people are flocking to festivals all around the United States. These music festivals in today’s society have turned into drug infested parties in which people’s live are endangered and people themselves are exposed to drugs and unsafe festival conditions.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Two Concert

    1854 Words  | 4 Pages

    Over this semester, I attended two concerts. The first concert I went to was a performance done by the Swedish band Graveyard at the 9:30 club in DC. The second concert that I went to was at the George Mason Center for Performing Arts. This concert was a jazz competition between bands call The Battle of the Big Bands. Both concerts were performed very well and kept the audience, myself included, very entertained throughout the entire show. In this paper, I will be discussing each individual show in depth, and then continuing on to compare the two concerts.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Gregory Porter And The Metropole Orchestra

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    Musical concerts are undoubtedly an incredible opportunity to experience a great aesthetic pleasure by listening to the musicians perform in front of your eyes. The power of music can hardly be overestimated – it can transfer a number of messages, thoughts and feelings through the performed sounds. Therefore the one can comprehend the music in the best possible way only when it is heard live. Musical concerts are often revelatory and highly impressive experiences to me. This essay thereby aims to provide my reflections and impressions of the concert of Gregory Porter & the Metropole Orchestra which I had the opportunity to attend in Nashville, TN.

    Read More

  • Live Performance

    1754 Words  | 4 Pages

    Music: the art of organized noise. The blend of pitch and rhythm combined in different mediums and enjoyed by our ears. A very interpretive art, music isn’t very clearly constricted or defined by one definition. With so many varieties of music, it’s difficult to say what aspect is really the most important. Some people think music’s history and the appreciation of music are the most important aspects to take into consideration. Some think complex in rhythms and melodies make the best music. Some people devote their whole lives to studying one genre of music in order to fully understand how that genre works. While all of these aspects of music are important, none of them can truly be compared with each other on a fair playing field. Music of different genres, eras, and geographic backgrounds were written for different purposes, different people, and different settings. Still, there is still one overarching theme that applies to all forms of music new or old: the way the composer presents his or her creation. The performance and presentation of a work of music is like the icing on the top of a cake. The cake may be the best you’ve ever tasted, but if the icing on the outside doesn’t look appealing or doesn’t taste good, chances are you’ll take a different piece of cake with better looking frosting next time. The performance of music is what appeals most to people. With live performance, an artist must “sell” his or her creation. They must put smile on their face and convey to the audience that this is their music and through the music explain why it’s awesome. They must persevere through whatever the stage, the audience, and their surroundings give them and put on a good show. In today’s popular music though, this aspect of showma...

    Read More

  • A Career as a Fire Fighter

    918 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Roman Emperor Augustus is credited with instituting a corps of firefighter vigilantes in 24 BC when checking for fires was developed. Firefighters or what they called them (watchmen) sounded an alarm if they saw a fire somewhere. To put out the fire they used buckets of water, and threw the water directly at the fire. They also used a tool called the axe to free people from a building that was on fire, and tried to free them using the axe. For major fires they used long hooks with ropes attached to them to bring down a burning building and take out the fire on the ground. Sometimes they used explosives to bring down a burning building as well and put water on it on the ground.

    Read More

  • The Musical Periods Of The Medieval And Renaissance Period

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout this semester we have discussed an array of musical periods ranging from the Middle Ages and Renaissance to more recent modern times. As music progressed through time certain concepts such as melody, harmony, and texture changed along with the introduction of different instruments. In the early phases of music it was more directed toward religious ceremonies, but as time went on it became integrated into everyday life. Even though musical dynamics seem to change as the years go on, it has never failed to create some form of emotional response such as laughter or sadness.

    Read More

  • The Renaissance Period

    1263 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gun powder was invented around 1040. This later led to the inventions of other destructive devices. Although hard to believe, rockets were launched as fireworks and weapons in China in the early 1230’s. This led to William Congreve developing rockets to use during wars. Also, coming from the invention of gun powder was the gun and other projectile-firing artillery. “These new inventions greatly affected how war was fought. No more hand-to-hand combat with implied rules” (Bellis). Also with these new weapons came a higher number of casualties.

    Read More

More about Physics of Fireworks

Open Document