Posts

Showing posts from July 4, 2010

How Fireworks Work

Image
HowStuffWorks.com has a fabulous article about how fireworks work, complete with diagrams and animations. I strongly recommend that you try this at home, kids! Shell Name Description Palm Contains large comets, or charges in the shape of a solid cylinder, that travel outward, explode and then curve downward like the limbs of a palm tree Round shell Explodes in a spherical shape, usually of colored stars Ring shell Explodes to produce a symmetrical ring of stars Willow Contains stars (high charcoal composition makes them long-burning) that fall in the shape of willow branches and may even stay visible until they hit the ground Roundel Bursts into a circle of maroon shells that explode in sequence Chrysanthemum Bursts into a spherical pattern of stars that leave a visible trail, with an effect somewhat suggestive of the flower Pistil Like a chrysanthemum shell, but has a core that is a different color from the outer stars Maroon she