Facts About Fire

Earlier man used to live in forests and he did not have any kind of resources which could make his life comfortable.  In such a situation, the primitive man himself made discoveries according to his needs.  Fire is very important in our life. Fire was invented by the spark of stone.  This period is believed to be from 20-25 million years ago to 12,000 years ago from the modern period. Today we are telling Interesting Facts about Fire.

Spark of Stone

Interesting Facts About Fire

• The fire had many uses in early humans.  Campfires keep people warm and scare away wild animals.  The fire continued to burn in the night and the caves.  Cooking food too.

• Eventually, people used fire in new ways.  They set fire to clear the land for farming.  They used fire to make pottery out of clay.  

• By about 3500 BCE people were using fire to shape metals.  As the centuries passed, people learned to use fire to make things like steam, rubber and bricks.

• One method they used was to beat one hard mineral against another to create a spark.  A second method was to rotate one piece of wood against another until the wood was heated to its ignition point.

• The supply of oxygen affects the colour of the flame. Low oxygen fires give off a yellowish glow.  A high-oxygen fire burns blue.

• A candle flame typically burns at around 1000 °C (1800 Fahrenheit).

• More people die from smoking than from flames.

• A fire can suck all the oxygen out of a room and fill it with toxic fumes and gases before the fire even reaches the room.

• Trees can explode if the water inside the tree quickly turns into steam.

The Exploding Tree

• The heat emanating from the fire is enough to kill.

• A flame is formed when heat forces gases from a burning substance.

Solved Questions

1. What are the components of Fire?

Ans: The three components of fire are: Heat, Oxygen and Fuel.

2. What affects the colour of the flame?

Ans: The supply of oxygen affects the colour of the flame.

3. How was fire invented?

Ans: Fire was invented by the spark of stone.

Learning by Doing

Fun with Fire

Fire Experiment for Kids: Hold a cold spoon over a candle and you will observe water vapour condensing on the metal.  Wax contains hydrogen which combines with oxygen to form water.

Summary

Fire is very important in our life. Fire was invented by the spark of stone. Fire is a mixture of three factors, if oxygen, fuel and heat (high temperature) gather in one place, then there is a fire.  Earth is the only known planet where fire can burn. We have already discussed these things and many more things related to fire in this chapter.