this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2023
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Learning what fire actually is, like what the flames are literally made of, blew my freaking mind years ago.
Fire is literally just gas (and fine solid particulates suspended therein) that contains so much thermal energy that its black body radiosity has reached into the visual spectrum.
There are some types of flames that are NOT bright enough to be visible under ambient lighting conditions and can only be seen in environments that are very dark!
Pure ethanol, for instance, combusts dark enough that you can't see the flames in daylight conditions, or even under strong artificial lighting.
Methanol fires in racing are scary. No flame, no smoke, just burning you.
I had an RC car as a kid with a small combustion engine that used methanol. When I and my friend realised that methanol burns without a flame we got so excited. It brought a new dimension to our army men shenanigans. That and discovering home made napalm.
Oh man, the homemade napalm comment really hits home for me. How did you use to make it? My friend always said that it was by melting polystyrene foam in petrol (no heat needed, it simply melts on contact).
Yeah we used styrofoam and melted it into this weird goo that sticks everywhere. Was dope.
New fear aquired
I saw that in a documentary recently. Absolutely terrifying.
https://youtu.be/JribVbv6CV4
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Ehm wut.
It gets so hot that it glows. Like how a filament in an incandescent light bulb glows when enough electricity is put through it.
Thanks for ELI5
Black body radiation is how you express thermal energy
Hot, like how Keke Palmer expresses thermal energy.
I've heard propane is a clean burning gas, I tell you hwat.
"That boy ain't right!"
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