1134

submitted 11 months ago by Wistful@discuss.tchncs.de to c/memes@lemmy.ml

44 comments fedilink hide all child comments

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[-] Draegur@lemm.ee 71 points 11 months ago

Learning what fire actually is, like what the flames are literally made of, blew my freaking mind years ago.

Fire is literally just gas (and fine solid particulates suspended therein) that contains so much thermal energy that its black body radiosity has reached into the visual spectrum.

There are some types of flames that are NOT bright enough to be visible under ambient lighting conditions and can only be seen in environments that are very dark!

Pure ethanol, for instance, combusts dark enough that you can't see the flames in daylight conditions, or even under strong artificial lighting.

[-] Rhaedas@kbin.social 47 points 11 months ago

Methanol fires in racing are scary. No flame, no smoke, just burning you.

[-] AnonStoleMyPants@sopuli.xyz 9 points 11 months ago

I had an RC car as a kid with a small combustion engine that used methanol. When I and my friend realised that methanol burns without a flame we got so excited. It brought a new dimension to our army men shenanigans. That and discovering home made napalm.

[-] Instigate@aussie.zone 3 points 11 months ago

Oh man, the homemade napalm comment really hits home for me. How did you use to make it? My friend always said that it was by melting polystyrene foam in petrol (no heat needed, it simply melts on contact).