Why Do Sparklers Not Burn You?

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Fireworks are a great way to light up every event. Whether it is for a birthday party, wedding event, Christmas Eve, or New Year’s night, fireworks are essential. What if we tell you that you can see the same fireworks glowing in your hands in the shape of sparklers? A sparkler is the simplest type of fireworks that is just a stick with a thick metallic fuel coat. It is a small stick that sparks and glows when you light it up. It just doesn’t pop up wide in the sky like the bigger fireworks. A unique quality of sparklers is that they don’t burn you. Even if a spark touches your skin, it would not burn it much. Why? Here, you will get all the answers so that you can prepare your sparklers selection boxes with a peace of mind.

How Does It Work

A sparkler is commonly made with a mixture of different chemicals mixed with fuel that helps it burn and spark. Usually, Sulphur and charcoal are mixed for the coating of the sparkler. Other than the chemicals, fuel, oxidizer, metallic powder, and a binder is needed. Some sparkler manufacturers use colorants that help the sparkler produce different colors such as green, blue, orange, and yellow.

Similar to fireworks, sparklers also use the process of combustion. When the oxidizer and metallic powder get mixed, they generate a large amount of energy causing flashes of light. As soon as you light up a sparkler, oxygen is released, after which oxidization and combustion take place. When the heat increases, it ignites the sparkler piece by piece till the end. Sparklers feature a controlled burn, which is why they are considered as the safest type of fireworks.

Temperature and Energy Are Different

The temperature of the sparks coming from a sparkler is very high. It is so hot that it can range between 1800°F to 3000°F (1000°C – 1600°C) whereas iron can melt at 2800°F (1500°C). However, a sparkler will still not burn you. The reason is that temperature is different from energy. The sparks of a sparkler carry thermal energy that largely depends on the mass and type of material. Because sparklers are low in mass, they produce lesser energy that makes them safe. Heat wouldn’t burn you without energy, so your skin won’t get damaged even if the sparks touch it.

Size

Another factor is size. Sparklers do not burn you because the sparks are so tiny that it only feels like someone pinched you. Small things tend to get cooler quickly, which is why as soon as a spark touches your skin, it cools down. It is just like you to cover a sandwich in a foil paper and put it in the oven to heat up. When you will put the sandwich out, you won’t feel that the foil is hot because of its size and volume. Fireworks that are bigger in size and volume and dangerous and can cause burns.

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