But even if it does, then fear not, because you’ll find your very own fireworks display on the Planet Science website! By clicking here: http://www.planet-science.com/outthere/index.html you’ll be able to safely set your own fireworks off with a click of your mouse. Not only will you go “oooh” and “ahhh” over the pretty colours but you’ll also be treated to some top firework facts. Some of the facts might be a little advanced but that won’t stop you enjoying the display!

Of course, you should never play with fireworks in real life so why not brush up on your Firework Safety Code at the same time here? http://www.welephant.co.uk/Bonfirestory020.htm

Hello Ron! How are fireworks made?

“A firework is a tube which contains small explosives packed in a type of gunpowder. This is called black powder. A piece of chemically-treated string sits in the black powder and sticks out of the top of the tube. This is called a fuse. An adult lights the fuse, which ignites the black powder and the firework shoots up into the sky. 

How do you make different-coloured fireworks?

“The colour of a firework depends on the chemicals inside. For example, if you add iron to a firework then the flashes in the sky will be silver. If you add copper carbonate then there will be blue flashes in the sky.”

So there must be a lot of science involved in making fireworks?

“Yes, and a chemistry degree will be useful if this is what you want to do. If you want to change the mixture for a certain firework then you need to know the characteristics of the chemicals and metals you are dealing with. Knowledge of physics and maths will help too.”

Thanks Ron!

Now for some more ‘fire-tastic’ firework facts:

• The first fireworks were probably made by the Chinese around 2000 years ago. The Chinese Cracker was a bamboo case filled with potassium nitrate. When it was thrown on the floor, it would bang.
• The first recorded fireworks in Britain were at the wedding of Henry VII in 1486.
• Coloured fireworks didn’t exist until the 19^th Century.
• Three sparklers burning together generate the same heat as a blow-torch.
• The world’s biggest firework was set-off in Japan in 1988. It weighed over half a tonne and created a burst a kilometre across!
• The longest firework display ever was in Malaysia in 1988. They lit more than 3 million firecrackers over a nine hour period.

I am Lizzy and I just wanted to know how light travels please?

Certainly, Lizzy! Light is a special form of energy that is given off by a source, like the Sun or a light bulb. Light travels in straight lines called light rays. If you have a torch, switch it on and point it at a wall and you’ll notice that the beam of light from the torch travels in a straight line. Light rays travel through the air until they bump into an object.

When light rays hit an object in their path, they pass right through, bounce off or are absorbed. It all depends on what the object is made of. Materials like glass let light through and are called transparent. Materials that stop light passing through are called opaque. When light hits an opaque object, it casts a shadow. A shadow is an area that light cannot reach.

I hope that sheds some light on your question, Lizzy!

Finally, this week Hay-Wire has SIX Young Scientist Discovery Tubes to give away. The tubes contain all you need to begin growing your own crystals, as well as learning about how crystal structures are formed and about their importance in nature.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is send an email with your name and address to: Hay-Wire.Clubhouse@nesta.org.uk with ‘CRYSTAL CLEAR’ as the subject and you’ll be entered into the draw.

The draw will take place at 5pm on Thursday so good luck!

Planet Science has gone Hay-Wire and now you have too!

Look out for the next issue of Hay-Wire on Friday. In the meantime if any of your friends want to join the Hay-Wire Club then tell them to visit the Clubhouse at:
http://www.planet-science.com/wired/hay-wire/clubhouse

Bye for now!