Fireworks are devices filled with explosive chemicals used for celebratory purposes.
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This video shows a pyrotechnician building fireworks from scratch and highlights the measures taken to complete the construction safely. The process requires anti-static gloves throughout to reduce the risk of igniting gunpowder.
Adding pellets of salt to gunpowder within a fireworks shell causes them to explode with different colors, but the type of gunpowder used also has an effect. Finely ground gunpowder burns quickly, producing streaks that swiftly burn out.
Fireworks were invented in China, but their predecessor, the firecracker, was discovered in Liuyang upon burning bamboo. Pyrotechnics have since become part of the city's culture. Liuyang has won many international fireworks display competitions.
When heated, electrons absorb energy and move to excited states within an atom. They promptly drop back down and release light energy corresponding to the size of the drop, which is unique to each element.
Burning bamboo stalks produces a small explosion that was believed to ward off evil spirits. As knowledge of fireworks, which initially used these stalks, carried over into other cultures, so did their use to promote good luck and celebration.
This article details how four ancient Chinese inventions were key in advancing civilization by spreading knowledge, enhancing warfare, and improving navigation worldwide.
Professional pyrotechnician Patrick Cyrana answers the internet’s most curious questions about fireworks, from designing ghost effects and exploring how electronic firing systems work to explaining what it takes to create displays in the rain.
The Ruggieri family transformed fireworks from military to theatrical displays by focusing on artistry. Claude Ruggieri's knowledge of chemistry allowed him to produce vivid green fireworks, a first in Europe.
Copper chloride emits blue light when heated, but breaks down at the temperatures created when fireworks explode. Pyrotechnicians continue to search for an ideal mixture that provides a temperature high enough for copper chloride to shine brightly without being destroyed.
This article provides animated diagrams depicting how different parts of fireworks function. The elements work together through timed mechanisms to produce desired effects.
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