9 V Battery and Steel Wool Fire How
9 V Battery and Steel Wool Fire
How to Do it: • Stretch out the Steel Wool. Make it into a rectangle • Rub the battery on the steel wool. Hold the steel wool in one hand the battery in the other. Any battery will do, but 9 volt batteries work best. Rub the side of the battery with the “contacts” on the wool. The wool will begin to glow and burn. Gently blow on it. • Transfer the burning wool to your tinder bundle. The wool’s flame will extinguish quickly, so don’t waste any time.
The science behind it: • A 9 volt battery is a fire hazard because the positive and negative posts are on top right next to one another. If this comes in contact with anything metal it will spark, and if there is a fuel for this spark you will have a fire. • The basic principle involved is that you need enough "electrical current" flowing through the steel wool to get it hot enough to "light. " • So, don’t put a 9 volt battery in your pocket w/some change, b/c this will bring on a whole new meaning to the words, “Hot Pants”!
Activity Rules: • Please take care not to burn your hands; do not touch any smoking or burning materials • Do not try to light anything else on fire! • Step on your fire to put it out completely • Get into groups of 3 -4. Conduct the experiment on the following slide • Time yourself; record your results into the following chart in your journal Steel Wool Speed 4 Ignition Burning Length Handling
Experiment: Try to light steel wool with a 9 volt battery and transfer it to your tinder. Tip: wrap the tinder bundle around the steel wool first A Penny
1. Name 2 other substances you think could ignite with a 9 V battery 2. Explain three safety precautions you should take when lighting a fire with steel wool and a 9 V battery 3. Explain your experimental results; compare and contrast the different materials and times 4. Name 5 reasons fire is advantageous in a survival situation 5. Why shouldn’t you keep a battery and steel wool together in your backpack? 6. What are the 3 essential components to a fire triangle? Questions:
- Slides: 6