competitions & quizzes...pit your wits & win with Planet Science
fire quiz
Feelin' Hot Hot Hot
Fan the flames of your curiosity and do some learning about burning in this 10 question fire fest.
There are 6 cutting edge smoke detectors to be won from FireAngels. Of course though the quiz is fun all the way, there is a serious side to smoke detection, Fire Angels tell us that 40% of people admit to taking the batteries out of there smoke detectors at home...shame on them! Regularly check your detectors and pre-plan your emergency exit is the very good advice from www.community-fire-safety.org.uk check it out to avoid becoming fuel..
Find out more about them by clicking this link:
http://www.fireangel.co.uk/
GOOD LUCK!
01 Something is ONLY on fire when it is burning in oxygen, which of these is actually on fire?
The Sun.
The magma under the Earth's crust.
The cooking element of an electric cooker.
The gases used in underwater welding.
02 When something burns, it is being combined with oxygen. This is called oxidation. But many things experience oxidation without burning, especially when it happens slowly. One of the following is NOT oxidation – which one?
Rusting of iron.
Radiation of heat from a radiator.
Our cells using sugar in respiration.
Rotting horse manure.
03 Why doesn't wood melt when heated - why does it just burn?
Wood is made of long chains of molecules all tangled up together. In liquids the molecules move about freely, but the tangled chains of molecules in wood stop them from moving until the bonds between them start to break. However, this is also the point when the wood catches fire.
All the water is evaporated away and so the wood has nothing to dissolve into, the remaining dry wood then burns more easily.
Wood, like carbon dioxide, sublimes - it turns straight from a solid into a gas. It is the wood gas that burns.
Each wood cell is alive and when attacked with heat they produce a chemical substance which binds the cells together. It is only when the wood is actually on fire and the cells are dead that they are released.
04 Diamonds and charcoal are made of carbon. Charcoal burns, but what about diamond?
Diamond burns at about 800°C, giving off carbon dioxide just like charcoal.
Diamond burns at just above room temperature unless it is combined with gold to draw the heat away. This is why diamond mines are prone to explosions.
Diamond does not burn, the crystal reflects the heat away in the same way as it reflects light.
Diamond does not burn because it has already been burnt deep under the Earth's crust where it formed.
05 Spontaneous combustion happens when the heat produced from oxidation is enough to ignite the substance without a spark. For which of the following is there no scientific proof for the occurrence of spontaneous combustion?
Oily rags
Newspapers
Humans
Green hay
06 Bush fires spread at a pace of 12 km/h, but can reach speeds of up to 25 km/h. This is faster than which animal?
Kangaroo
Ostrich
Ant
Komodo dragon
07 After the fire has gone what is left in the pile of ashes?
Minerals and water.
Vitamins and minerals.
Minerals and carbon.
Only metal, it doesn’t burn, which is why the ash is grey.
08 People can walk barefoot on burning coals. All but one of the following statements provides a scientific explanation for why they don’t get burned. Which statement is FALSE?
The coals glow but are not hot.
Blood circulating through the feet quickly conducts the heat away.
The coals although very hot do not conduct heat well.
The surface is uneven so little of the foot touches for long enough to burn.
09 There is a creature that actively seeks a forest fire. What is it?
The fireslug, it lays fire resistant eggs only once in its life, then dies in the oncoming flames. The fireslug has highly adapted slime which allows it to move incredibly rapidly, 50 km/h, and so keep up with the ever moving forest fires.
The firebug, a beetle, detects fires by heat sensors in its armpits. It lay its eggs in the charred bark of trees. These insects are very successful because there are no predators left to eat them.
The firesloth actually moves too slowly to escape forest fires but has developed a fire retardant coat to protect it. Ironically, this coat is highly sought after by furniture manufacturers and the firesloth has been hunted nearly to extinction.
The firehydrant is naturally a bright red colour and seeks out forest fires as a form of camouflage. This is the one time it can mate without the risk of being eaten.
10 Candles require oxygen, but on the space shuttle where there is lots of oxygen candles do not burn very well. What is the main problem with burning a candle in microgravity?
The space shuttle has an oxygen rich environment, with too much oxygen the candle over heats and blows itself out.
It's too cold in space for the flame to stay alight.
On Earth the flame points upwards and oxygen is drawn in from the bottom. Because there is no ‘up’ in space the flame is spherical and the flame runs out of oxygen.
There is no friction in space and therefore no way of generating the flame.
Answers:
1= The gasses • 2= Radiator • 3= Molecules • 4= Burn at 800oC • 5= Humans • 6= Ant • 7= Minerals & Carbon • 8= Coals glow • 9= The Firebug • 10= There's no 'up' in space
<< Go Back