The Science of Fire Breathing
Dr Tim Cockerill explores the science behind the most dangerous stunt in the firebreather's repertoire - the human volcano. From the volatility of the fuel to the fire breather's technique,...
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[MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] The human volcano, fire breathing-- it's the most dangerous stunt in the fire eater's repertoire. But how does it work? Well, it all hinges on the oxygen in the air. [MUSIC PLAYING] When I'm breathing fire, all that's happening is I'm burning a fuel by blowing it over a flame. So here's my fuel, and here is my flame-- not very spectacular. So what's going on? Well, in order to burn, a fuel needs to be mixed with the oxygen in the air. And at the moment, this fuel doesn't have enough oxygen mixed with it in order for that to happen. This fuel's not very volatile. This fuel, however, is very volatile, which means it evaporates constantly. It's evaporating more quickly, and...
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[MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] The human volcano, fire breathing-- it's the most dangerous stunt in the fire eater's repertoire. But how does it work? Well, it all hinges on the oxygen in the air. [MUSIC PLAYING] When I'm breathing fire, all that's happening is I'm burning a fuel by blowing it over a flame. So here's my fuel, and here is my flame-- not very spectacular. So what's going on? Well, in order to burn, a fuel needs to be mixed with the oxygen in the air. And at the moment, this fuel doesn't have enough oxygen mixed with it in order for that to happen. This fuel's not very volatile. This fuel, however, is very volatile, which means it evaporates constantly. It's evaporating more quickly, and...
