Combustion for Kids! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Oxygen

Just like you need oxygen to breathe, a fire also needs oxygen to burn. Nitrogen and carbon dioxide both cannot sustain a fire. Phlogiston was a key element of a 17th century theory about fires - it was speculated that any burning substance would release this substance.

Answer: Energy

As you know, things that can burn don't just normally start doing so on their own - otherwise we would not have any wood. To start a fire, you need energy which is usually brought in as heat, but can also be an electrical spark or even a mechanical action. Striking a match is an example of the latter.

Answer: Hot air is lighter than cold air

Smoke consists of fine dust particles in gases released by the fire. This gas has just been heated by the fire and is thus lighter than the surrounding cold air. It thus rises upwards. This effect is used in hot air balloons - they float because the hot air inside them is lighter than the cold air outside.

Answer: Other substances can take the role of the air

You do not necessarily need air to burn something - just oxygen. This oxygen can be part of other chemical compounds. Gunpowder, for example, consists of carbon, sulphur and saltpeter. The first two of these three substances are fuel - they would burn in air - while heated saltpeter releases the needed oxygen to sustain the fire.

Answer: An explosion

If you make combustion take place in an enclosed space, the heated gases that would normally expand cannot do so. Instead, they build up pressure until the containment bursts, often with a destructive result.

Answer: A blue flame

Flames have colors because heated matter glows. The energy of light goes up from the outside of the rainbow towards the inside. Red light has the least energy, then orange, yellow, and so on. A blue flame, like you can get it from some gas burners, is much hotter than a yellow or red one. White flames, by the way, are a mix of different colors of light.

They are hotter than yellow flames, but normally cooler than blue ones.

Answer: A computer

Both fireworks and rifle ammunition burn gunpowder or similar substances while an airplane's engine burns kerosene. A computer however only uses electricity and does not actually burn anything. The electricity may come from a power plant that burns something (usually coal or gas) to generate energy, but it doesn't have to.

It could also be nuclear power, wind power or solar power, none of which requires combustion.

Answer: A car engine

The term "internal combustion engine" was coined in the late 19th century to distinguish the then new engines from steam engines. Both types derive their power from expanding gas inside a cylinder which drives a piston. In an internal combustion engine, fuel burns right inside the cylinder in miniature explosions.

In a steam engine, on the other hand, burning fuel takes place outside the cylinder. It heats and vaporizes water which is then sent to the cylinder.

Answer: Laughing gas

Water is the most commonly used fire-extinguishing agent. It mostly works by cooling down the burning substance to remove the needed energy for the fire to continue. Carbon dioxide is often used to extinguish burning electronics without causing further damage.

A blanket can be very effective to extinguish a small fire - by putting it over the fire, it prevents air from getting there. Just use a wool or cotton one which does not itself burn easily. Laughing gas, on the other hand, releases oxygen when heated and would make the fire worse.

Answer: Smoke poisoning

Most people killed in fires are dead before they sustain serious burns because of breathing poisonous smoke. If you should ever get into a fire, get yourself to safety, away from smoke, as quickly as possible. Stay low to the ground when there is smoke! Remember, smoke rises, so you will find the cleanest air near the floor. Do not try to fight a fire unless you are absolutely sure you can do so without putting yourself in danger! If you can do so safely (and only then), grab a mobile phone while fleeing and get away, preferably upwind from the fire. Get to a safe place and only then call the fire brigade!