Resources
Fire Engineer
This Catalyst article looks at the work of fire engineers whose aim is to minimise the threat of fire and to protect people when fire breaks out. The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2014, Volume 24, Issue 4.
Catalyst is a...
Fire extinguisher
This resource uses the scenario of the ‘Safe at Home’ scientists are developing a new range of fire extinguishers to help families protect their homes from fire. They have heard carbon dioxide might be useful but would like you to help with their investigation.
In this activity children observe irreversible...
Fire extinguishers and combustion *suitable for home teaching*
In this predict-observe-explain activity, students explore different ways of extinguishing a flame with some surprising results. The lesson is introduced with the video of engineer Yusuf Muhammad. Yusuf is developing a revolutionary new household fire-safety device, incorporating the techniques of professional...
Fire Hydrants
This Nuffield activity asks students to experiment with the placing and number of fire hydrants required in a city with square blocks that form a rectangular grid.
Key processes developed in this investigation are...
Fire piston
This video demonstrates how compressing a gas increases its temperature. A small piece of cotton wool is placed into the bottom of a narrow plastic tube. When the air is rapidly compressed by a piston, the air temperature increases and the cotton ignites. The 'fire piston' can be used to illustrates the transfer of...
Fire Safety
These materials, from the Learning and Skills Improvement Service, contain an activity in which students are asked to relate theory to practice as they inspect fire extinguishers and fire blankets in real situations. The students locate, identify and plot fire protection equipment on plans of their work areas in...
Fire safety engineer
Rory Hadden investigates how fires ignite, spread and how they can be extinguished. This research is then used to save lives by creating safer buildings for us to live and work in.
Fire syringe
This video demonstrates how adiabatic compression of air can produce enough heat to ignite cotton wool. The auto-ignition temperature of cotton wool is approximately 400⁰C. The video could be used to explain the way diesel engines work.
Fire: Combustion or Decomposition?
These downloadable videos and animations are part of the multimedia package Stuff and Substance, developed by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). They can be used to develop ideas relating to the distinction between combustion and decomposition in the...
Fire: Flames and Chemical Change
These downloadable videos and animations are part of the multimedia package Stuff and Substance, developed by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). They can be used to develop ideas relating to flames, from hydrogen to candle wax.
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