Fireworks: Metal and Firework Essay

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The first firework was invented in China a few thousand years ago. There are some stories that stated the first firework was invented by a Chinese cook and other stories that stated the first firework was invented by a Chinese monk, Li Tian. Regardless, the first fireworks were pretty simple, mostly just gunpowder that made a loud “BOOM.” No pretty glittery lights or patterns like the fireworks we have today that light up our night sky every July 4th. An ariel firework, one that explodes in the sky, consist of four parts. The four parts are container, stars, bursting charge, and fuse. The container is usually made of paper and it holds the stars and fuse. The stars are the colored explosives that you see in the sky. Each star contains an oxidizing agent and fuel which create the intense heat and gas of the explosion. The balls also contain a chemical that colors them, usually based on metals (Brian, 2000). The firework colors are determined by the types of metal element put inside the stars. The metal atoms in the stars absorb heat energy from the explosive blast and release it as light, the light released is specific to the atom in the mixture. Electrons that create the lights can only move between certain energy levels and give off light with a very specific color (Welsh, 2014). To make the different colors of each firework, different metals are mixed together. When the sodium nitrate is heated, electrons in the sodium atoms absorb the energy and get excited. Then when the electrons come down from the high, they release a yellow light. The recipe that creates blue, for example, includes varying amounts of copper chloride compounds, while red comes from strontium and lithium salts. Secondary colors are made by mixing the ingredients of their primary-color relatives. A mixture of copper which burns blue, and strontium which burns red, makes purple (Bryner, 2010).
As for the loud “BOOM!” you hear after you see the fireworj explode it in the sky, it’s because light travels roughly a million times quicker than sound (Gannon, 2013). The same thing happens with thunder and lightning. You can see the lightning before you hear the loud clap of the thunder. Each part of the firework has a
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