Fireworks
RSSGail Junion-Metz
www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/fireworks/
I love Independence Day! I enjoy sitting in a lawn chair watching a parade and going to family get-togethers and eating too many burgers and dogs, but what I love the most are the fireworks. Ever since I was a kid I've wondered how fireworks work. How do they launch themselves into the sky? Why are some green and others gold, red, or pink? How do they burst into such different patterns in the sky? If you're as curious as I am, be sure to visit this site.
Start your tour by clicking on the "Virtual Fireworks" link and watch a video of pyrotechnician Alberto Navarro talking about how computers are changing fireworks displays. Next, click "On Fire" to learn about the basics of combustion. Then, read the fascinating interview with Dr. John Conkling, Director of the American Pyrotechnics Association, who talks about fireworks safety and how the art of firework making has changed over the years. If you want to know what's inside a firework shell, visit "Anatomy of a Firework" (really fascinating!), then go to "Name That Shell" and try your hand at identifying the fireworks you see.
Finally, don't miss the "Resources" links and the accompanying "Teacher's Guide" for related sites and information (including 20 curious facts about fireworks) that you can use to get kids interested in learning the science behind the "oohs" and "aahs."
