/oss/taxonomy/term/3295/all en /oss/article/technology-you-asked-general-science/how-do-sparklers-work <p>You stick them into a birthday cake, stand back and revel in the brilliant shower of sparks. What you are witnessing are glowing metal particles, usually aluminum, but iron titanium, zinc or magnesium can also be used. They glow because they are undergoing combustion. In other words, the little metallic particles are burning, undergoing a reaction with oxygen to form metal oxides.</p> Fri, 17 Sep 2021 20:41:28 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8851 at /oss /oss/article/technology-history/little-night-magic <p>All fireworks rely on a combustion process that has three basic requirements: some sort of fuel to burn, a supply of oxygen, and a source of energy to initiate the reaction between the fuel and the oxygen. In the case of fireworks, the oxygen comes not from the air but is supplied by substances which release it by means of chemical reactions.</p> Wed, 04 Jul 2018 16:08:30 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7159 at /oss