Street Science (2017–…): Season 1, Episode 2 - Fire Tornado - full transcript

♪♪

Delaney: WE ARE HITTING THE STREETS

TO SHOW OFF THE AMAZING
PROPERTIES OF FIRE...

...USING EVERYDAY ITEMS FROM HOME

TO LIGHT UP THE SKY.

THIS WAS FUN.

Delaney: WHAT DOES IT
TAKE TO MAKE SPARKS FLY

IN A BIG WAY?

THAT'S AMAZING.

3, 2, 1.

[ ALL CHEER ]



A FIRE TORNADO IS A FORCE OF NATURE,

BUT THAT WON'T STOP US
FROM TRYING TO MAKE ONE

IN OUR OWN BACKYARD. -YEAH!

NOW IT'S STARTING TO MOVE A LITTLE BIT.

SO, PULL UP A CHAIR.

MY NAME IS KEVIN DELANEY.

I'VE BEEN SHOWING OFF THE
MAGIC OF SCIENCE FOR YEARS,

EVERYWHERE FROM MUSEUMS
TO LATE-NIGHT TALK SHOWS.

SCIENCE IS ALL AROUND US,
AND I WANT THE WORLD TO SEE IT,

SO I'M COMBINING EVERYDAY ELEMENTS

IN WAYS THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND.

[ SCREAMING ]

I'VE GOT A TEAM OF EXPERTS
AND HIGH-TECH CAMERAS

THAT WILL REVEAL THE
SCIENCE THAT SURROUNDS US



IN WAYS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

I'M TAKING SCIENCE TO THE STREETS.

THIS IS "STREET SCIENCE."

♪♪

SO, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR BOTH OF YOU.

-SURE. -WHAT'S THAT, KEVIN?

HOW MANY FIRES HAVE YOU BOTH STARTED?

WELL... [ CHUCKLES ]

RESPONSIBLY. DO WE NEED TO COUNT?

YOU KNOW WHAT FUNNY,
THOUGH... I DON'T THINK

THAT I HAVE EVER REALLY HAD

ALL THAT STRONG OF AN INTEREST IN FIRE

UNTIL I STARTED SHOOTING SLOW MOTION.

I THINK I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF IDEAS ABOUT

HOW WE CAN REALLY EXPLORE FIRE

FROM A LOT OF UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES.

-I'M DOWN. -LET'S PLAY WITH FIRE, KEVIN.

STOP SAYING, "PLAY WITH FIRE."

THAT MAKES ME NERVOUS. -[ LAUGHS ]

Delaney: WE'RE TAKING TO THE STREETS

WITH SOME BURNING QUESTIONS ABOUT FIRE.

ALL RIGHT, GUYS,

LET'S GET SOME OF THIS STUFF UNLOADED.

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO,

PRIMITIVE HUMANS DISCOVERED FIRE,

AND IT WOULD CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY.

AND NOW THESE PRIMITIVE HUMANS

ARE GOING TO FURTHER
EXPLORE THIS RED-HOT TOPIC

BY CREATING A FIRE TORNADO.

FANTASTIC.

♪♪

FIRE IS A PART OF NATURE.

IT PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN SHAPING

AND RENEWING OUR ECOSYSTEMS.

OUT-OF-CONTROL WILD
FIRES ARE EXTREMELY DEADLY,

BUT THERE IS A RARE PHENOMENON

THAT CAN BE EVEN MORE DESTRUCTIVE...

A FIRE TORNADO.

A FIRE TORNADO IS SIMILAR TO A DUST DEVIL,

ONLY WITH FIRE INSTEAD OF SAND AND DIRT.

BECAUSE FIRE TORNADOS ARE SO RARE,

I WANT TO FIND OUT HOW
THEY WORK ALTOGETHER.

IN NATURE,

WIND CONDITIONS MUST BE
JUST RIGHT FOR ONE TO FORM.

WE'RE AT A PUBLIC PARK

WHERE WE HOPE TO REPLICATE THIS.

ENGINEER NICK HOUSEHOLDER,

LEAD BUILDER CHRIS JUFREE,
AND THE REST OF THE TEAM

ARE STACKING 24 SIMPLE
EVERYDAY BOX FANS IN A CIRCLE

TO SERVE AS OUR WIND SOURCE.

AND OUR SLOW-MO EXPERT, DARREN DYK

WILL BE CAPTURING ALL THIS
FIRE ON HIS HIGH-SPEED CAMERA.

SO WE'RE GONNA BE SHOOTING
THIS AT 1,500 FRAMES PER SECOND,

AND MY GOAL IS THAT WE CAN SEE
A VERY DYNAMIC FLUID MOVEMENT

FOR THE TORNADO AS IT SPINS UPWARD.

HOW'S IT GOING, CHRIS? YOU
GOT A LOT OF FANS HERE I SEE.

YEAH, WE GOT A LOT OF FANS, 24 OF THEM.

SO OUR FUEL GOES IN HERE?

-YEP, FUEL GOES IN THE PIE TIN. -ALL RIGHT.

AND THEN HOPEFULLY,

WITH THE FANS ARRANGED IN THE RIGHT ANGLE,

WE CAN CREATE THAT BIG, SPINNING VORTEX.

ALL RIGHT.

KEVIN, WHAT DO YOU THINK
THE WIND'S GONNA DO OUT HERE?

I'VE NO IDEA. I'M TERRIFIED.

[ LAUGHTER ]

YEAH, IT SEEMS KIND OF BRISK RIGHT NOW.

YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.

WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO CREATE A HUGE TWISTER

BY ADDING KEROSENE TO THE PIE TIN

AND THEN IGNITING IT.

POSITIONING THE FANS JUST
RIGHT AND SLIGHTLY OFF CENTER

IS IMPERATIVE IN HELPING TRIGGER

THE RISING AIR INTO A ROTATIONAL SPIN,

HOPEFULLY FORMING A FIERY VORTEX.

THIS IS WHAT YOU CALL A SLOW BURN.

- LOOKING LIKE SOMETHING.
- IT'S WORKING A LITTLE BIT.

ONCE WE GET THE CROSS BREEZE TO STOP,

IT WILL... IT'S DEFINITELY SPINNING.

-IT'S BURNING STRONGER NOW. -OH.

STARTING TO SEE SOME SPIRALING. -YEAH.

GETTING THAT VORTEX.

-YEAH. -THERE IT IS.

LOOK AT IT. IT'S SUCKING
IT UP AND EVERYTHING.

THERE WE GO.

WHOA! YEAH!

[ LAUGHS ]

♪♪

NOT TOO BAD.

ARE YOU PROUD OF YOUR CREATION?

I'M PLEASED. IT LOOKS PRETTY NICE.

♪♪

DARREN HAS SLOWED DOWN TIME,

WHICH REVEALS THE SWIRLING FORCES OF AIR

THAT GO INTO CREATING THIS RARE PHENOMENON.

THE SLOW-MOTION SHOT
REVEALS THAT OUR FIRE TORNADO

REACHES AN IMPRESSIVE
HEIGHT OF ABOUT 10 FEET

BEFORE THE CROSSWINDS
CAUSE IT TO DISSIPATE.

Dyk: SO WHAT I'M SEEING HERE
WHEN I LOOK BACK AT THE FOOTAGE

IS THAT THESE CROSS BREEZES ARE COMING IN

AND HITTING THE FIRE TORNADO
AND JUST KIND OF BENDING IT OVER

AND TAKING THE VORTICES OFF AXIS

SO IT CAN'T BE VERY STABLE AT ALL.

Delaney: WE WANT TO TRY
TO MAKE THIS EVEN BIGGER,

SO WE'RE CALLING IN THE PROS.

SO, I WORK AT A SCIENCE MUSEUM,

AND WE DO A SMALL-SCALE
DEMONSTRATION LIKE THIS.

AND WHAT WE TALK ABOUT
IS THAT THIS HAPPENS.

THIS HAPPENS IN REAL-WORLD SITUATIONS

WHERE A BRUSH FIRE WILL START,

AND THEN WHEN THAT COOL AIR
BLOWS IN THROUGH THE TREES,

IT CAN REALLY SEND IT UP
AND CAUSE A LOT OF DAMAGE.

WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT FOREST FIRES,

YOU HAVE THAT WARM, DRY AIR THAT STAYS LOW,

THEN YOU INTRODUCE THE FIRE,
AND THAT GENERATES MORE HEAT,

THOSE COOL AIRS COME IN,

AND THAT ACTUALLY CREATE YOUR VORTEX UP.

THAT'S WHY IT'S ALWAYS
IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE

YOUR CAMPFIRES ARE OUT BEFORE YOU LEAVE.

-ABSOLUTELY. -THAT IS TRUE.

Delaney: IN NATURE, THIS COOL AIR

CAN PUSH FIRE TORNADOS TO
REACH HEIGHTS OF ABOUT 50 FEET.

AND IN EXTREME SITUATIONS,

IT CAN EVEN STRETCH A MILE HIGH.

SO WHAT CAUSES THEM TO REACH
SUCH EXTRAORDINARY HEIGHTS?

WE'RE GOING DOWNTOWN

WHERE THE TALLER
BUILDINGS WILL BLOCK THE WIND

TO SEE IF WE CAN REACH THOSE HEIGHTS.

-HERE IT GOES. -THERE YOU GO. YEP.

-ALL READY? -GO FOR IT.

-WOW! -STARTING TO GET THERE.

SEE, IT'S PUSHING IT A LITTLE BIT THIS WAY.

-WHOA. -A LOT BIT THIS WAY.

THE ANGLED FANS ARE
FORCING COOL AIR TO PUSH

UPWARDS AGAINST THE
RISING HOT AIR FROM THE FIRE.

-OH, WATCH OUT. -THAT IS NICE AND TOASTY.

WELL, YOU WEREN'T KIDDING
ABOUT THOSE METAL FANS

MOVING THE AIR A LOT FASTER,

LOOK HOW FAST IT'S MOVING.

Householder: AS SOON AS WE GET
A BIG CROSS BREEZE, THOUGH,

IT JUST SQUASHES THE WHOLE THING.

-YEAH, YEAH. -RIGHT.

LET'S ADJUST IT A LITTLE BIT.

♪♪

MOVE THIS IN A LITTLE CLOSER,

GIVING IT A COUNTER PUSH.

SEE, THAT'S THE THING.

WHEN YOU HAVE ALL THIS WIND

THAT'S COMING FROM THE OTHER ANGLES,

YOU HAVE TO OFFSET WHERE THE WIND

IS PUSHING FROM THE FANS,

SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? -YEAH!

NOW IT'S STARTING TO MOVE A LITTLE BIT.

THERE WE GO. LOOK AT THAT. WOW.

Delaney: DARREN'S SHOT FROM
THE THERMAL CAM REVEALS

JUST HOW HOT THE FLAME IS GETTING.

YOU CAN SEE ABOUT A 2,000-DEGREE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN THE HOT AIR AND THE COOL AIR.

THIS IS BETTER THAN AT THE PARK.

THIS IS WAY BETTER THAN AT THE PARK.

YEAH, IT'S STARTING TO
MOVE A LITTLE BIT, HUH?

WE'VE DOUBLED THE SIZE OF OUR TORNADO

TO 20 FEET

JUST BY GETTING OUT OF THE WIND
AND MOVING THE FANS IN CLOSER.

AND YOU CAN ALSO SEE
THE VORTEX IN THE SOOT.

-YEAH. -AS THE FIRE IS MOVING UP,

IT'S CHASING THAT UNBURNED
FUEL TO TRY TO BURN IT.

THAT'S FANTASTIC.

Dyk: SO WE HAVE THE FANS

PUSHING A TON OF WIND AROUND THE FIRE,

SO AS IT GOES UP, IT CAN
GO MUCH, MUCH TALLER

BECAUSE THE BLACK SOOT
AT THE TOP OF THE FIRE

IS BASICALLY UNBURNT FUEL.

WHEN THE WIND CONDITIONS ARE JUST RIGHT,

THE FIRE WANTS TO START
RECLAIMING THE UNBURNED FUEL,

CREATING OUR MASSIVE MANMADE FIRE TORNADO.

Delaney: BUT IF THAT WASN'T ENOUGH,

NICK WANTS TO TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER

TO SEE IF HE CAN REVEAL
SOMETHING WE CAN'T NORMALLY SEE.

THE BEST DECISION WE CAN MAKE NOW

IS TO FLY A QUADCOPTER THROUGH IT.

[ LAUGHS ] I'M SO DOWN, DUDE.

KEVIN HAS A POOR OPINION OF THESE THINGS,

AND HE MAY BE ROOTING FOR IT TO CATCH FIRE.

NO, I'M NOT ROOTING FOR IT CATCH FIRE

BECAUSE I DON'T WANT IT TO HURT ANYBODY.

-OKAY. -[ LAUGHS ]

MY ADVICE IS DON'T BLOW UP THE BATTERY.

YEAH.

SO THAT'S LIKE A 50-50 CHANCE
OF HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.

HEY! SO DON'T DO THAT.

HEY, I LIKE ALL THE
CONFIDENCE YOU HAVE IN ME.

YEAH, SO MUCH. [ LAUGHS ]

LET ME KNOW WHEN TO GO, DARREN.

3, 2, GO.

Delaney: OUR TORNADO
IS A REAL TRIAL BY FIRE

FOR THIS DRONE.

THE QUESTION IS, DOES IT
HAVE THE SPEED AND WEIGHT

TO POWER THROUGH THE
UPDRAFT FORCE OF FIERY WIND?

LET ME KNOW WHEN TO GO, DARREN.

3, 2, GO.

-HA! -OOH!

-YOU ALL RIGHT? -[ LAUGHS ]

I'M GOOD.

WE'RE WARM, BUT IT LOOKS TO HAVE SURVIVED.

OUR HIGH-SPEED FOOTAGE REVEALS
THAT THE FIRE TORNADO WINDS

ARE MOVING RAPIDLY IN AN
UPWARD, SPIRALING MOTION.

AS THE DRONE SLICES THROUGH OUR TORNADO,

WE CAN SEE THAT THE
RISING UPDRAFT OF FIERY WIND

FORCES IT TO EXPERIENCE
MAJOR AIR TURBULENCE.

YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE THAT THE DRONE

GETS PUSHED INTO THE FIRE TORNADO'S

CIRCULAR WIND PATTERN FOR A SPLIT SECOND,

RENDERING THE COPTER UNCONTROLLABLE.

-HA! -OOH!

♪♪

WHEN YOU'RE EXPERIMENTING WITH FIRE,

YOU HAVE TO BE READY FOR ANYTHING.

WE CARRY CO2 FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
TO EVERY EXPERIMENT

JUST IN CASE.

TO PUT OUT A FIRE,

THIS CO2 FIRE EXTINGUISHER QUICKLY RELEASES

A MIXTURE OF LIQUID CARBON DIOXIDE

AT ABOUT 825 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH,

WHICH EQUALS A LOT OF FORCE
AND PRODUCES A LOT OF THRUST.

IT'S THE SAME BASIC PRINCIPLE
UNDERLYING ROCKET PROPULSION,

AND DARREN IS GOING TO SEE
IF HE CAN USE IT TO TAKE OFF.

PUTTING ON, OVER MY BEANIE, EXTRA CUSHION.

THREE SIZES TOO SMALL RIGHT NOW.

THREE SIZES TOO SAFE. [ LAUGHS ]

MY BIGGEST FEAR RIGHT NOW

IS THAT IT'S GONNA SNAG MY BEARD HAIRS.

THAT'S YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?

[ LAUGHS ]

Delaney: EVER WONDER WHAT HAPPENS

WHEN YOU RIG AN OFFICE
CHAIR AND A FIRE EXTINGUISHER

TO A PALLET WITH ROPES AND SAND BAGS?

WELL, WE'RE DOING IT FOR YOU.

WE'RE NEVER GONNA GET OUR
MONEY BACK FOR THIS CHAIR.

LASTLY... THEM GOGGLES.

♪♪

GOOD FOR YOU. YOU LOOK LIKE A DOG IN SPACE.

I FEEL CHEESY LEVELS OF SAFE RIGHT NOW.

WELL, YOU LOOK CHEESY LEVELS OF SAFE.

ALL RIGHT SO, THIS SUCKER UP HERE.

-NEWTON'S THIRD LAW. -YEAH.

FOR EVERY ACTION, THERE IS AN
EQUAL AND OPPOSITE REACTION.

GAS COMES THIS WAY, YOU GO THAT WAY.

-ALL RIGHT. -ALL RIGHT. I'M GONNA BACK UP.

ALL RIGHT.

WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR LUNCH?

DUDE, ENCHILADAS.

STANDING OVER THERE. AMAZING ENCHILADAS.

OKAY.

3, 2 AND...

WHOA.

THIS IS FUN.

♪♪

[ LAUGHS ]

FEEL LIKE I'M GONNA FLY
OUT AT SOME POINT HERE.

Delaney: CO2 FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
HAVE SURPRISING THRUST.

WHOO!

OPENING UP THE VALVE
ON THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER

AND ALLOWING PRESSURIZED CONTENTS TO ESCAPE

IS SIMILAR TO THE BASIC
OPERATING PRINCIPLES

OF A ROCKET ENGINE.

WHEN THE LIQUID CO2
INSIDE EXPANDS INTO A GAS,

THE CARBON DIOXIDE PUSHES
OUT AND CREATES THRUST.

ALL RIGHT. THAT WAS DIZZYING.

GOOD JOB, BUDDY.

SO IT WORKS WITHOUT A PERSON,
AND WORKS WITH A DUMMY.

YES.

YOU GET MORE DIZZY ON THIS

THAN, LIKE, THE CRAZIEST ROLLER COASTERS.

GOT ALL THAT COCHLEAR FLUID

SPLASHING AROUND INSIDE OF YOUR HEAD.

DIZZY, I KNOW.

YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THE ICE CRYSTALS

ON THE SIDE OF THE CO2 EXTINGUISHER,

BUT WHY DOES THE CO2
EXTINGUISHER BECOME SO COLD?

THIS IS BECAUSE THE CO2 INSIDE THE TANK

IS MOSTLY LIQUID.

WHEN THE GAS ABOVE THE LIQUID IS EXPELLED,

ITS SUDDEN DROP IN PRESSURE CAUSES

ITS TEMPERATURE TO DECREASE RAPIDLY.

THE BLUE AREA ON THE FLIR THERMAL CAMERA

IS THE COLDEST

WITH TEMPERATURES THAT CAN GET DOWN

TO APPROXIMATELY 60 DEGREES BELOW ZERO.

IT REALLY SHOWS YOU HOW MUCH OF THAT CO2

THESE LITTLE TANKS CAN FORCE OUT.

THAT IS AN IMPRESSIVE
AMOUNT OF CO2 FOR SURE.

WELL, THEY'RE NOT REALLY

FOR SPINNING AROUND
IN A CHAIR LIKE A MORON.

[ LAUGHS ]

WE KNOW THAT A CO2 FIRE
EXTINGUISHER CAN EXPEL GAS

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 800 AND 900

POUNDS OF PRESSURE PER SQUARE INCH.

IN COMPARISON,

THE PRESSURE INSIDE OF A CHAMPAGNE BOTTLE

IS TYPICALLY BETWEEN 60 AND
90 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH,

MEANING THAT THE EXTINGUISHER
IS CAPABLE OF PROVIDING

AS MUCH AS 10 TIMES MORE
THRUST THAN A CHAMPAGNE BOTTLE.

SO THESE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
EXPEL A LOT OF PRESSURE

BUT HOW FAST CAN THAT AMOUNT
OF PRESSURE MAKE SOMEONE GO?

I KNOW ONE DUDE WITH A SKATEBOARD

WHO'S READY TO FIND OUT.

WHOO!

Delaney: TODAY, WE'RE TAKING TO THE STREETS

TO SEE JUST HOW MUCH FIREPOWER

A CO2 FIRE EXTINGUISHER CAN UNLEASH.

♪♪

WE'RE HEADING OVER TO THE RIVER WALK

TO SEE HOW FAST DARREN CAN GO.

WILL HE EXTINGUISH ANY DOUBTS
ABOUT HIS SKATEBOARDING ABILITY?

WE'RE CLOCKING HIM AT 20 MILES PER HOUR.

ALLOWING THE PRESSURIZED CONTENTS TO ESCAPE

IS WHAT PROPELS HIM AT THIS SPEED.

MOST OF THE THRUST FROM THE
FIRE EXTINGUISHER IS CONSUMED,

OVERCOMING FRICTION AND AIR RESISTANCE.

Dyk: WHOO!

BUT IF DARREN TRIED THIS IN OUTER SPACE

WHERE THERE IS NO ATMOSPHERE OR FRICTION,

THE SAME FIRE EXTINGUISHER

WOULD HAVE HIM TRAVELING

AT HUNDREDS OF MILES PER HOUR VERY QUICKLY.

I'D SAY THAT'S SUFFICIENTLY
FROSTED ALREADY.

NICELY DONE. NICELY DONE, MY MAN.

♪♪

Delaney: OKAY, ENOUGH
ABOUT PUTTING OUT FIRES.

LET'S GET BURNING AGAIN.

WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO SEE IF
WE CAN TAKE EVERYDAY CHEMICALS

AND TRANSFORM AN ALREADY MAGNIFICENT FLAME

INTO SOMETHING REALLY SPECTACULAR.

AND THAT'S WHAT BRINGS US

TO THIS LOCAL GLASS STUDIO AND FOUNDRY.

HERE, DAVID SPURGEON

AND HIS ASSISTANT, EDELWEISS WALKER,

APPLY METALLIC OXIDES
AND DIFFERENT COMPOUNDS

LIKE COBALT OXIDE AND SULPHUR TO GLASS

TO CHANGE ITS COLOR
WHEN THEY HEAT IT WITH FIRE.

BUT CAN YOU REALLY USE
INGREDIENTS LIKE THESE

TO CHANGE THE COLORS OF FIRE?

I'M GOING TO USE EVERYDAY
CHEMICALS TO FIND OUT.

WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE DIFFERENT COLORS

BEING PRODUCED BY THESE DIFFERENT METALS

BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF ENERGY

THAT THEY'RE GIVING OFF.

IN FACT, WE HAVE A PRETTY
INTERESTING SCIENCE DEMONSTRATION

THAT WE'D LIKE TO SHOW YOU

AND CREATE A LITTLE BIT OF
FIRE AND SOME CHEMISTRY.

COOL. IT'S RIGHT ALONG THE
LINES OF WHAT WE'RE DOING.

ALL RIGHT, AWESOME.

SO KEEP AN EYE ON EACH
ONE OF THESE LITTLE DISHES,

AND YOU'LL SEE EXACTLY WHAT WE MEAN.

-EXCELLENT. -AWESOME.

OUR CHEMISTRY ASSISTANT, ANNE-LISE EMIG,

FINISHES FILLING THE DISHES

WITH FIVE COMMON HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS...

LITHIUM CHLORIDE, BORIC ACID,

POTASSIUM TARTRATE,

CALCIUM CHLORIDE, AND METHANOL.

SO, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN
WHEN WE LIGHT THEM ON FIRE?

I THINK IT'S GONNA EXPLODE.

MY GUESS IS THE FLAMES ARE
PROBABLY GONNA HIT THE CEILING.

-HI, EVERYBODY! -HI.

SINCE DAVID AND EDELWEISS WERE SO KIND

TO BRING US INTO THE SHOP, WE
WANTED TO RETURN THE FAVOR.

SO WE SET UP THIS CONTRAPTION HERE.

3, 2, 1.

-WHOA! -YEAH!

Delaney: WE'RE TAKING
SCIENCE TO THE STREETS

AND WE'RE AT A GLASS STUDIO

WHERE I HAVE AIR BLOWING
THROUGH THIS CONTRAPTION.

BUT AT EACH OUTLET, WE
HAVE FIVE DIFFERENT CHEMICALS

AND WANT TO SEE HOW EACH ONE

WILL AFFECT THE FLAME DIFFERENTLY.

3, 2, 1.

THERE WE GO.

-WHOA! -LOOK AT THAT.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

YOU MIGHT NOTICE SOMETHING A
LITTLE STRANGE ABOUT THE FLAMES.

SOME OF THEM ARE BURNING
DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT COLORS

THAN YOU'RE ACCUSTOMED TO SEEING FIRE BURN.

♪♪

AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE
DISSOLVED DIFFERENT AMOUNTS

OF METAL SALT IN EACH ONE.

SO WHEN METAL GETS BURNED,

IT GIVES OFF ELECTRONS.

AND THOSE ELECTRONS GIVE OFF
DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF ENERGY

THAT REGISTER AS DIFFERENT
WAVELENGTHS OF LIGHT

TO OUR EYES, SO WE SEE DIFFERENT COLORS.

Delaney: MY SLOW-MOTION EXPERT DARREN

AND ENGINEER NICK ANALYZE THE FLAMES.

Dyk: SO THIS IS THE MID SHOT.

Householder: LOOK AT THAT GREEN FLAME.

I KNOW. THAT GREEN FLAME IS REALLY COOL.

YOU COULD KIND OF SEE

WHERE THE AIR BLOWS THE
FLAME OUT HERE IN A SECOND

AND THEN YOU CAN WATCH THE FLAME CHASE IT

BACK UP THE STREAM OF FUEL.

SO THAT'S WHY THERE
WAS DROPLETS OF THE FUEL.

YEAH, YEAH 'CAUSE IT WOULD BLOW ITSELF OUT

AND THEN CHASE BACK UP AGAIN.

RIGHT, RIGHT.

THE FIVE FLAME COLORS

ARE THE RESULT OF FIVE
DIFFERENT CHEMICALS ADDED.

LITHIUM CHLORIDE BURNS RED

AND IS FOUND IN LITHIUM BATTERIES.

BORIC ACID BURNS GREEN

AND IS USED IN MOST INSECT REPELLENT.

POTASSIUM TARTRATE
BURNS A PURPLE CREAM COLOR

AND IS USED IN BAKING AS CREAM OF TARTAR.

CALCIUM CHLORIDE BURNS ORANGE

AND IS USED IN CHEESE
MAKING AND BEER BREWING.

AND LASTLY, PURE METHANOL IS A CHEMICAL

THAT BURNS A CLEAR BLUE COLOR

AND IS USED IN WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID.

SO THANK YOU GUYS VERY, VERY MUCH

FOR HAVING US HERE AGAIN.

WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR
LITTLE COLORFUL DEMONSTRATION.

NIGHT TIME IS THE BEST TIME TO SEE FIRE.

AND IF ALL GOES WELL,
WE'RE GONNA LIGHT UP THE SKY

USING ITEMS PROBABLY
FOUND IN MOST KITCHENS...

SOME STEEL WOOL, A WHISK,
AND A NINE-VOLT BATTERY.

WITH THESE ITEMS, CAN WE
MAKE A DISPLAY OF IRON OXIDATION

AND OUR OWN GIANT SPARKLER?

TO HELP US SEE IT, PROFESSIONAL
PHOTOGRAPHER MATT MARRIOTT

WILL TRY TO REVEAL THIS EFFECT

THROUGH LONG EXPOSURE PHOTOGRAPHY.

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]

WE HEAD UPSTAIRS, AND OUR BUILDER CHRIS

HELPS SET UP THE EXPERIMENT.

THIS RIG WILL BE SWUNG ON A WIRE

AND LIT WITH A TOUCH OF A BATTERY.

THIS IS GOING TO CREATE A SHOWER OF SPARKS.

ANNE-LISE HAS VOLUNTEERED
TO STAND UNDERNEATH IT,

SO, OF COURSE, SHE'S GONNA HOLD AN UMBRELLA

AND WEAR SOME FIREPROOF GEAR.

- ALL RIGHT, KEVIN LET'S DO THIS.
- ALL RIGHT.

♪♪

THIS IS FUN. [ LAUGHS ]

IT'S REALLY COOL.

Delaney: SURE, IT LOOKS COOL,

BUT THE SPARKS LIGHTING UP THE SKY

ARE A RESULT OF THE IRON IN
THE STEEL WOOL HEATING UP

AND THEN REACTING TO THE OXYGEN IN THE AIR

PASSING THROUGH THE SPINNING WHISKS.

HOW'S ANNE-LISE?

THAT WAS AWESOME.

IT FELT LIKE IT WAS RAINING FIRE.

-COOL. -GREAT.

-THAT ONE. -THAT ONE?

DUDE, THAT ONE'S SICK.

LOOK AT THAT. JUST A TON, A
TON OF SPARKS RIGHT THERE.

DUDE, BEAUTIFUL JOB. COOL.

ANNE-LISE, YOU LOOK AMAZING THERE.

YOU LOOK AWESOME. -THAT'S SO COOL.

YOU HAVE A NEW FACEBOOK PROFILE PICTURE.

YOU DID SUCH A GOOD JOB HERE.

-GOOD JOB. -OH, THANK YOU.

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]

Delaney: SO HERE'S WHAT'S GOING ON.

STEEL WOOL IS MOSTLY MADE OF IRON.

THE WOOL IS COMPOSED
OF THESE REALLY THIN WIRES,

AND A GREAT DEAL OF HEAT IS CREATED

WHEN TOO MUCH ELECTRICAL
CURRENT TRIES TO FLOW THROUGH THEM.

THE BATTERY HEATS UP THE
STRANDS TO ABOUT 700 DEGREES

RESULTING IN A SHORT CIRCUIT.

AND WHEN NICK AND I
TWIRL THE WHISKS AROUND,

ALL THE OXYGEN IN THE AIR

IS ESSENTIALLY SUPERCHARGING THE REACTION

AND THAT'S WHAT CAUSES
LITTLE PIECES TO BURN OFF,

WHICH LOOK LIKE SPARKS TO THE NAKED EYE

AND LIGHT STREAKS IN
LONG-EXPOSURE PHOTOGRAPHY.

ALL RIGHT, LET'S SEE WHAT WE GOT.

- THAT'S PRETTY NEAT.
- THAT'S REALLY SWEET, YEAH.

LOOKS LIKE GOING THROUGH

A METEOR SHOWER OR...
- YEAH, THAT'S PRETTY NUTS.

...LIGHT SPEED.

BUT LOOK AT THAT, JUST
EXPLOSION OF LIGHT COMING DOWN.

BUT LOOK AT THAT. LOOK
AT HOW COOL THAT WAS.

-THAT'S VERY COOL. -WOW! THAT'S AMAZING.

Delaney: AND WHILE THESE PHOTOS MIGHT SPARK

YOUR INTEREST IN PHOTOGRAPHY,

HARNESSING THE POWER OF
FIRE IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS,

SO PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]