WEBVTT - Rerun: Fireworks, Part Two 0:00:04.440 --> 0:00:12.320 Welcome to tech Stuff, a production from iHeartRadio. Hey there, 0:00:12.360 --> 0:00:15.600 and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, Jonathan Strickland. 0:00:15.640 --> 0:00:20.200 I'm an executive producer with iHeartRadio and how the Tech Area. 0:00:20.760 --> 0:00:23.600 It is the fourth of July all over the world, 0:00:23.920 --> 0:00:26.480 but in the United States we celebrate the fourth of July. 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:29.479 We associate that with the. 0:00:29.400 --> 0:00:32.800 Signing of the Declaration of Independence, although that that in 0:00:32.840 --> 0:00:36.080 itself is not entirely historically accurate, but that's part for 0:00:36.120 --> 0:00:40.599 the course with the way we observe stuff here in America. 0:00:41.200 --> 0:00:44.280 But yes, we are off today because of the fourth 0:00:44.320 --> 0:00:47.720 of July holiday, and so we are bringing you a 0:00:47.880 --> 0:00:51.360 classic episode. We ran part one of this episode yesterday, 0:00:51.440 --> 0:00:53.920 so if you miss that, you may want to listen 0:00:53.960 --> 0:00:57.560 to that first. This is called Fireworks Part two because 0:00:57.560 --> 0:01:00.440 the previous one was called tech Stuff Lights Some fire Works. 0:01:00.800 --> 0:01:06.200 Originally this episode published July twenty eighth, twenty fourteen, and 0:01:06.360 --> 0:01:09.640 at that time, Lauren Vogelbaum was my co host. She 0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:12.560 now is host of brain Stuff and other things of 0:01:12.600 --> 0:01:16.800 that nature. So she's been doing lots of podcast production 0:01:17.880 --> 0:01:20.920 and is killing it. But back in these days she 0:01:21.240 --> 0:01:25.840 was a fresh faced podcaster joining me to talk about fireworks. 0:01:26.360 --> 0:01:30.720 I hope you enjoy this classic episode and let's listen in. 0:01:31.480 --> 0:01:35.280 As of about the Italian Renaissance, Yeah, people started adding 0:01:35.560 --> 0:01:39.200 different metals into the gunpowder to make it burn in 0:01:39.240 --> 0:01:42.319 different colors, right, And I suspect that this was tied 0:01:42.480 --> 0:01:45.800 into the fact that also around the Italian Renaissance, people 0:01:45.800 --> 0:01:49.360 were starting to make brilliantly colored paints of many different kinds, 0:01:49.400 --> 0:01:52.240 and the same metal compounds that were being used for 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:56.280 those paints, I'm guessing is what got ported over into fireworks. 0:01:56.320 --> 0:01:58.320 Absolutely. Yeah. They also found, you know, if you were 0:01:58.360 --> 0:02:01.400 able to get a metallic salt and say burn it, 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:04.240 it would burn with a particular color of flame. So 0:02:04.440 --> 0:02:06.960 you would get a flame that would be green or 0:02:07.000 --> 0:02:10.040 blue or whatever based upon the metallic salts that were 0:02:10.080 --> 0:02:13.760 in that mixture. And that's when they said, hey, this 0:02:14.600 --> 0:02:17.919 firecracker stuff, if we were to put this in combination 0:02:17.960 --> 0:02:20.600 with the firecracker stuff, we'd get these different colors of 0:02:20.720 --> 0:02:25.000 light that would go off because the explosion could ignite 0:02:25.360 --> 0:02:28.720 a secondary charge that would have a mixture of these 0:02:28.720 --> 0:02:31.799 metallic salts in them. So we just mixed together the 0:02:31.880 --> 0:02:34.160 right way, we get the right color. Now, the important 0:02:34.160 --> 0:02:36.799 thing to remember is that these ingredients they don't change 0:02:36.840 --> 0:02:40.320 the chemical reaction of the explosion itself. It's more like 0:02:40.480 --> 0:02:44.080 adding a little flavor. So your basic ingredient is still 0:02:44.120 --> 0:02:47.000 the same. It's that black powder, but it's what you 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:50.040 mix with it that gives you the bright, pretty colors. 0:02:50.400 --> 0:02:54.119 Right, And to explain what creates those bright pretty colors, 0:02:54.440 --> 0:02:56.840 we need to get down to an atomic level of 0:02:56.880 --> 0:02:58.920 how photons are created. 0:02:58.880 --> 0:03:02.639 Yeah or not? Well, yeah, given off, given off? Yeah. Yeah. 0:03:02.720 --> 0:03:05.280 So if you have an atom, one of the things 0:03:05.280 --> 0:03:08.120 that one of the sub atomic particles that make up 0:03:08.120 --> 0:03:10.920 that atom is the electron. Right, You have electrons that 0:03:10.960 --> 0:03:15.000 surround the nucleus with neutrons and protons or in the 0:03:15.040 --> 0:03:18.320 case of hydrogen, just a proton. And if you were 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:21.560 to add energy to that atom, you would excite the electron. 0:03:21.680 --> 0:03:24.119 And I don't mean it'd be like ooh, I cannot 0:03:24.240 --> 0:03:26.359 wait until Avenger's two age of ultron comes out. 0:03:26.440 --> 0:03:28.560 Actually that's kind of I imagine that the dance that 0:03:28.600 --> 0:03:31.000 the electron does is very much like that dance that 0:03:31.040 --> 0:03:31.359 I do. 0:03:31.440 --> 0:03:35.240 Yeah, the little little arms are at shoulder height and 0:03:35.720 --> 0:03:38.000 clenched in fists if you want to envision it, And 0:03:38.040 --> 0:03:40.120 then you just kind of wiggle a little bit. So 0:03:40.680 --> 0:03:44.440 these electrons, Yeah, they get excited from their normal energy state, 0:03:44.480 --> 0:03:46.480 which is called the ground state. That's the one that 0:03:46.520 --> 0:03:49.960 they naturally inhabit when they're just hanging out exactly. 0:03:50.640 --> 0:03:54.400 So that excited state will kind of push the electron 0:03:55.000 --> 0:03:55.520 further out. 0:03:56.560 --> 0:03:59.800 Yeah. So the thing is this is not sustainable. For 0:04:00.240 --> 0:04:03.640 if you take the energy source away, then the electron 0:04:03.680 --> 0:04:06.440 will gradually come back down to its ground state, but 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:09.400 it has to give off all that energy it accepted 0:04:09.680 --> 0:04:10.560 in the process, all. 0:04:10.560 --> 0:04:13.080 Right, So when it snaps back, it gives off energy 0:04:13.080 --> 0:04:14.800 in the form of a photon. 0:04:14.560 --> 0:04:18.120 Right, And depending upon the element, you will get a 0:04:18.160 --> 0:04:20.400 different color of light, different. 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:22.640 A different wavelength of photons exactly. 0:04:22.720 --> 0:04:25.359 Yeah. The photon's light is dependent upon its wavelength. 0:04:25.440 --> 0:04:28.800 The amount of energy that it has equals the color 0:04:29.120 --> 0:04:30.080 that you see. 0:04:30.240 --> 0:04:33.039 Yeah. So, and the thing is, once you know which 0:04:33.200 --> 0:04:36.760 elements are generating a certain color, it's going to be 0:04:36.760 --> 0:04:37.880 that way all the time. 0:04:37.920 --> 0:04:38.720 It's pretty dependable. 0:04:38.800 --> 0:04:42.880 Yeah. Yeah. So we have a list of colors and 0:04:42.920 --> 0:04:45.760 a list of the elements the metallic salts that are 0:04:46.080 --> 0:04:50.640 commonly used to create said colors in your typical fireworks display. 0:04:50.720 --> 0:04:54.040 So we're going to alternate describing these. Do you want 0:04:54.040 --> 0:04:54.599 me to go first? 0:04:56.240 --> 0:04:58.279 It's the longest list, so all right. 0:04:58.120 --> 0:05:00.320 Here we go. All right, So for the color going 0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:04.039 by the way, in the order of ROIGBIV. Technically we're 0:05:04.040 --> 0:05:09.559 doing roug bit because indigo actually gets turned into indigo 0:05:09.640 --> 0:05:12.080 and violet get turned into purple. Also, I guess it's 0:05:12.120 --> 0:05:15.000 technically roug BIPs because we have an S at the end. 0:05:15.520 --> 0:05:17.719 All right, fair enough, here we go, starting off red. 0:05:17.880 --> 0:05:21.960 To create the color red, you would typically add metallic 0:05:22.000 --> 0:05:27.000 salts such as strontium salts, lithium salts, lithium carbonate, or 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:31.640 strontium carbonate, which creates a very bright red. So the Again, 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:34.919 depending upon which ones you use, you get different hues 0:05:35.160 --> 0:05:37.040 of whatever color you're looking at. 0:05:37.200 --> 0:05:41.280 Sure, orange you've got calcium salts or calcium chloride. 0:05:41.480 --> 0:05:44.520 Yellow you have sodium salts or sodium chloride. 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:49.159 Green can be barium compounds plus a chlorine producer YEP 0:05:49.880 --> 0:05:51.200 or barium chloride YEP. 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:54.480 Blue would be copper compounds plus a chlorine producer you're 0:05:54.520 --> 0:05:57.920 probably noticing some trends here, or copper chloride. 0:05:58.040 --> 0:06:01.480 Purple can be a mixture of and red compounds. So 0:06:02.040 --> 0:06:03.480 like strontium and copper yep. 0:06:03.760 --> 0:06:07.400 And then you have silver, which is essentially something like aluminum, 0:06:07.480 --> 0:06:11.119 titanium or magnesium that's just burning. And those things burn 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:15.320 really super bright. That's what gives fireworks their their silvery 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:21.240 sparkly look. Yeah, so those are your basic ingredients. So 0:06:21.760 --> 0:06:25.400 how do we end up with the starburst patterns? I mean, obviously, 0:06:25.440 --> 0:06:28.960 if you just had an explosive with just these metallic 0:06:29.000 --> 0:06:32.080 salts mixed willy nilly in there and it exploded, it 0:06:32.080 --> 0:06:35.880 would just be a big mass of light in different colors. 0:06:35.880 --> 0:06:39.000 But we see these beautiful starburst patterns that come out. 0:06:39.040 --> 0:06:42.320 So what is it that causes that. Well, it's all 0:06:42.640 --> 0:06:47.360 in the actual manufacture and design, the layout of baracle 0:06:47.440 --> 0:06:51.960 design of right. Yeah, it's it's how you have situated 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:54.320 the various metallic salts and you put them well. 0:06:54.360 --> 0:06:56.760 Well, okay, so we mentioned we mentioned at the end 0:06:56.800 --> 0:06:59.839 of the last episode that the basic let's run down again, 0:06:59.880 --> 0:07:02.240 the basic way that a firework is composed. 0:07:02.279 --> 0:07:05.280 Sure, okay, So if you were looking at a firework 0:07:05.320 --> 0:07:06.080 from top to. 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:08.400 Bottom, if you cut one right in half, yeah. 0:07:08.200 --> 0:07:10.520 So the if you cut it right and half you 0:07:10.520 --> 0:07:12.520 would see that in the center is a burst charge. 0:07:12.600 --> 0:07:16.000 That's that's your your black powder that's designed to push 0:07:16.080 --> 0:07:20.360 everything outward in whatever formation you happen to have. 0:07:20.640 --> 0:07:22.720 And then surrounding that, you're going to have some kind 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:26.280 of a clay or other material that's holding what's called 0:07:26.360 --> 0:07:27.600 in the industry stars. 0:07:27.760 --> 0:07:29.960 Yeah, this is the metallic salts that are placed in 0:07:30.240 --> 0:07:32.360 and these these stars are small, they're like three or 0:07:32.360 --> 0:07:35.560 four centimeters across, so they look like pellets, and the 0:07:35.560 --> 0:07:38.520 pellets can be put around. There's also black powder around those, 0:07:38.560 --> 0:07:40.440 so it can really project them out and also ignite 0:07:40.480 --> 0:07:44.480 them so that they burn properly. Now you've got these 0:07:45.040 --> 0:07:49.000 layouts that will determine exactly what kind of effect you'll have. 0:07:49.080 --> 0:07:53.000 It's also the shape of the projectile shell itself, but 0:07:53.360 --> 0:07:55.840 really it's the layout of those stars. If you put 0:07:55.880 --> 0:08:00.520 the stars in a really tight circle around this burst charge, 0:08:00.720 --> 0:08:02.840 then when the firework goes off, you're going to get 0:08:02.880 --> 0:08:06.760 a perfect circle that expands outward as these metallic salts 0:08:06.800 --> 0:08:10.800 ignite and fly outward. And the cool thing is that 0:08:10.920 --> 0:08:14.280 a lot of these stars they have it where it's 0:08:14.320 --> 0:08:17.280 a three hundred and sixty degree thing. But because of 0:08:17.320 --> 0:08:21.040 the way we perceive fireworks, it looks to us more 0:08:21.080 --> 0:08:23.440 like a two dimensional circle that expands out, but it's 0:08:23.480 --> 0:08:26.680 actually going out in all directions. It's a true explosion 0:08:27.960 --> 0:08:29.640 if you were somehow able to be in the middle 0:08:29.640 --> 0:08:32.360 of one. For example, if you were I don't know, 0:08:32.480 --> 0:08:35.160 to fly a drone with a video camera on it 0:08:35.200 --> 0:08:38.160 into a fireworks display, which happened this year, then you 0:08:38.160 --> 0:08:40.160 would be able to see that it explodes outward in 0:08:40.200 --> 0:08:43.880 all directions, not just in a two dimensional circle, which 0:08:43.920 --> 0:08:48.200 is pretty cool. At any rate, you end up mixing 0:08:48.200 --> 0:08:51.240 those metallic salts with an oxidizer or reducing agent, which 0:08:51.280 --> 0:08:55.120 is also a fuel. Oxidizers and reducers work together to 0:08:55.200 --> 0:08:57.840 create the Bernie Bernie, and then also a binder which 0:08:57.840 --> 0:09:01.320 holds all the stuff together. Now, the oxidizers in the 0:09:01.320 --> 0:09:04.640 stars aren't usually potassium nitrate like you would find in 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:08.679 black powder, because those oxidizers don't allow for high temperatures 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:11.760 that are needed to produce the chemical reactions necessary for 0:09:11.800 --> 0:09:15.079 the different colors. In other words, potassium nitrate doesn't burn 0:09:15.240 --> 0:09:19.120 hot enough to ignite those metallic salts, so we usually 0:09:19.160 --> 0:09:21.920 end up going with something like potassium chlorate, which we 0:09:21.960 --> 0:09:26.040 mentioned in the previous episode. Creates these even more spectacular 0:09:26.440 --> 0:09:31.280 explosions or combustions, just it burns even faster than regular 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:34.520 black powder does, making it much more dangerous. But that's 0:09:34.520 --> 0:09:37.120 what you need in order to generate these colors. Although 0:09:37.160 --> 0:09:40.000 again also that we mentioned in the last episode, people 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:43.320 are looking at alternatives because potassium chlorate is not the 0:09:43.320 --> 0:09:46.000 best thing in the world to get in the environment. 0:09:46.040 --> 0:09:48.679 Once it has combusted, you get chloride for one thing, 0:09:49.360 --> 0:09:51.880 not a good stuff, but you do get those more 0:09:51.920 --> 0:09:56.840 intense reactions which allows the starbursts to ignite and fly outward. 0:09:57.920 --> 0:10:00.760 We're going to take a quick break talking about fireworks 0:10:00.800 --> 0:10:04.240 and listen to some messages from sponsors that might spark 0:10:04.280 --> 0:10:04.840 your interest. 0:10:14.400 --> 0:10:16.920 So you would typically have lots and lots of these 0:10:16.960 --> 0:10:20.480 stars packed into a single firework and you place them 0:10:20.520 --> 0:10:24.080 meticulously inside the rocket. And bi meticulously, I mean this 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:28.640 is done by hand. People hand make these fireworks so 0:10:28.679 --> 0:10:32.880 that the patterns are exact. They will place the stars strategically. 0:10:33.520 --> 0:10:35.400 This is how you are able to get something like 0:10:35.480 --> 0:10:38.960 a smiley face effect because it's all based on physics 0:10:39.880 --> 0:10:42.360 that you know exactly how far something's gonna fly based 0:10:42.400 --> 0:10:44.440 upon the amount of black powder in there and it's 0:10:44.760 --> 0:10:49.280 orientation within the firework itself. So there's nothing special in 0:10:49.320 --> 0:10:51.560 the sense of there's no special tech that makes this 0:10:51.960 --> 0:10:55.400 heart shape or this smiley face. It's all in how 0:10:55.520 --> 0:10:57.320 those stars are right in there. 0:10:57.480 --> 0:11:01.400 It's very careful chemistry and mix and physics. 0:11:01.400 --> 0:11:03.559 Physics, Yeah, physics does the rest for you, as if 0:11:03.559 --> 0:11:05.640 you've done your job correctly in the design of the 0:11:05.679 --> 0:11:08.920 physical firework. Physics takes care of the rest. It'll just 0:11:09.000 --> 0:11:10.920 make stuff go boom and it'll fly the way it's 0:11:10.920 --> 0:11:13.040 supposed to fly based upon where you put it. 0:11:13.080 --> 0:11:15.440 And I'm sure machines could could even more precisely than 0:11:15.520 --> 0:11:18.760 humans create these mixtures and put them down in But 0:11:19.080 --> 0:11:21.040 the thing is that machines tend to get a little 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:23.640 bit warm and sparky while they're doing their thing. Yea, 0:11:23.679 --> 0:11:26.360 So overall it's a lot. I mean, my hand is 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:28.480 way less sparky than most machines that I know. 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:31.440 Yeah. So also get rid of that stack electricity before 0:11:31.480 --> 0:11:33.720 you go in there. Yes, but see, one thing you 0:11:33.760 --> 0:11:36.120 could do is you could use computer programs to help 0:11:36.160 --> 0:11:38.319 you figure out what's the ideal layout. 0:11:38.840 --> 0:11:41.040 I'm sure, I'm sure that those algorithms exist. 0:11:41.240 --> 0:11:43.760 Yes, yeah, they do. Where you can actually you have 0:11:43.880 --> 0:11:47.360 all because the laws of physics are pretty consistent. You know, 0:11:47.400 --> 0:11:50.199 we don't generally have our laws turned upside down from 0:11:50.200 --> 0:11:51.079 one day to the next. 0:11:51.640 --> 0:11:54.040 As we'll talk about in the next section. There are 0:11:54.080 --> 0:11:58.840 some factors that can cause a little bit of havoc. Weather, humidity, 0:11:59.080 --> 0:12:02.240 ye kind of stuff. Pressure, I'm sure. 0:12:02.559 --> 0:12:06.199 So looking at a rocket completely in cross section, let's 0:12:06.240 --> 0:12:09.600 say you're cutting it in half long ways, not horizontally, 0:12:09.640 --> 0:12:12.679 so vertically, and you're looking at it from top to bottom, 0:12:12.920 --> 0:12:16.680 here's what you would have. You would have a one 0:12:16.760 --> 0:12:19.720 main fuse that would lead down from the top of 0:12:19.840 --> 0:12:25.080 the projectile into the firework. That would ignite two separate 0:12:25.160 --> 0:12:28.880 other fuses. All right, So you've got one fuse that's 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:31.200 a time delay fuse, and it burns more slowly. Then 0:12:31.240 --> 0:12:34.040 you have a quick burning fuse, which obviously burns faster. 0:12:34.880 --> 0:12:38.320 The quick burning fuze goes along the outside of the 0:12:38.320 --> 0:12:41.200 firework down into its base. That's where you have the 0:12:41.240 --> 0:12:44.280 lift charge. That's the black powder that's going to provide 0:12:44.320 --> 0:12:48.200 the force to project the firework into the sky. Right 0:12:49.120 --> 0:12:51.840 the second the time delay fuse will continue to burn, 0:12:52.240 --> 0:12:54.880 and if you've designed the firework correctly, again based upon 0:12:54.920 --> 0:12:57.680 the laws of physics. You will have it ignite it 0:12:57.880 --> 0:13:02.079 just the right arc right right, usually when the firework 0:13:02.120 --> 0:13:05.240 has reached the peak, Yeah, exactly, and so that would 0:13:05.440 --> 0:13:07.880 light the burst charge that's the one that has all 0:13:07.920 --> 0:13:10.280 the stars centered around it. So you've got two charges, 0:13:10.320 --> 0:13:12.480 the lift charge and the burst charge, and the two 0:13:12.559 --> 0:13:15.080 have to be separated, or else you just get a 0:13:15.160 --> 0:13:17.800 mortar that explodes in a bright color of light, which 0:13:17.800 --> 0:13:20.760 we've had happened before that accidents have happened. 0:13:20.559 --> 0:13:23.000 Yes, and then right, and then each of those little 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:27.000 stars inside the package have their own oxidizers that are 0:13:27.000 --> 0:13:28.160 going to set off. 0:13:28.040 --> 0:13:30.320 Yeah, each at the stars exactly. And you may even 0:13:30.400 --> 0:13:34.600 have a multi break firework which would have multiple chambers 0:13:34.640 --> 0:13:37.560 that have burst charges and stars in them, so that 0:13:37.840 --> 0:13:41.800 you get multiple explosions from one projectile. Those would have 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:44.360 even separation charges. You can think of it kind of 0:13:44.440 --> 0:13:46.480 like a rocket that goes into outer space. You know, 0:13:46.480 --> 0:13:49.120 when the engines are done, you have the little separator 0:13:49.160 --> 0:13:52.240 charges that explode, separating the engines away so that the 0:13:52.240 --> 0:13:55.200 rest of the vehicle can continue going off into space. Yeah, 0:13:55.320 --> 0:13:57.120 same sort of thing with your basic firework, except of 0:13:57.120 --> 0:13:59.440 course you're not shooting it nearly as high, but you 0:13:59.480 --> 0:14:01.840 have little little Yeah, you have a little separation charges 0:14:01.880 --> 0:14:05.040 that will allow the multi breaks to happen. Meanwhile, that 0:14:05.160 --> 0:14:09.560 fuse just continues to slowly go through the entire firework, 0:14:09.880 --> 0:14:13.480 lighting each section in the right order. Yeah, so it's 0:14:13.520 --> 0:14:14.040 pretty cool. 0:14:14.280 --> 0:14:16.440 So let's talk about some of these different kinds of 0:14:16.520 --> 0:14:18.560 shells and what exactly they do. 0:14:18.800 --> 0:14:22.760 Sure, yeah, so these are terms in the fireworks industry. 0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:26.040 So the kind of shell you have, the design of it, 0:14:26.160 --> 0:14:29.120 the physical shape of the shell, as well as the 0:14:29.160 --> 0:14:33.320 layout of the stars are what determine the how it behaves. 0:14:33.640 --> 0:14:36.240 So for example, I guess we can alternate with these two. 0:14:36.280 --> 0:14:40.680 You have a palm shell, which contains large comets or 0:14:40.840 --> 0:14:44.960 charges in the shape of a solid cylinder. These travel outward, 0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:47.840 they explode and then curve downward like the limbs of 0:14:47.880 --> 0:14:50.520 a palm tree. So those are you know, now you'll 0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:52.280 be able to impress your friends when you watch a 0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:55.520 fireworks display. That's a palm charge. It's a classic palm clip. 0:14:56.040 --> 0:14:56.800 Really well done. 0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:03.000 You've also got the round those perhaps expectedly explode in 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:05.760 a spherical shape, usually of colored stars. 0:15:05.840 --> 0:15:07.640 Yeah, this is what I always think of when I 0:15:07.640 --> 0:15:10.600 think fireworks. This is the particular style. I think of 0:15:10.640 --> 0:15:14.320 just the big round globe of glowing stars like red 0:15:14.400 --> 0:15:15.840 or green flying outward. 0:15:15.960 --> 0:15:17.520 I actually think of the palm first. 0:15:17.600 --> 0:15:20.000 Yeah, I can see it all depends on I guess, 0:15:20.000 --> 0:15:23.120 your own personal experience. I've seen a lot of Disney fireworks, 0:15:23.280 --> 0:15:25.200 and these round shells. 0:15:24.880 --> 0:15:26.520 Are They're very fond of them there. 0:15:26.560 --> 0:15:28.240 Yeah, because if you do three of them in the 0:15:28.320 --> 0:15:29.840 right orientation. 0:15:29.440 --> 0:15:30.480 They look like a mickey head. 0:15:30.600 --> 0:15:33.360 Yes, exactly. So then you have the ring shell. This 0:15:33.440 --> 0:15:35.840 explodes to produce a symmetrical ring of stars. The way 0:15:35.880 --> 0:15:37.680 this works is that again, if you were to cut 0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:40.840 a ring shell in half, you would see just a 0:15:40.880 --> 0:15:45.560 perfect ring of the the pellets, the star pellets around 0:15:45.640 --> 0:15:47.920 the burst charge, and it would just shoot them all 0:15:47.920 --> 0:15:51.920 out in a circle, you know, in equal directions. So 0:15:52.680 --> 0:15:53.640 that's how that one works. 0:15:54.040 --> 0:15:57.760 Then you've got a willow. These contain stars with a 0:15:57.840 --> 0:16:01.400 high charcoal composition to make them really burning so that 0:16:01.400 --> 0:16:03.960 they'll fall out in the shape of willow branches and 0:16:04.280 --> 0:16:07.080 stay lips, stay visible sometimes even until they hit the ground. 0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:08.600 Yeah, these are the ones that you know, you see 0:16:08.600 --> 0:16:11.360 those sparkles and they just the long trail of sparkles 0:16:11.400 --> 0:16:14.280 as they slowly descend. They're very, very impressive. 0:16:14.720 --> 0:16:17.480 We're making so many gestures over here, folks. 0:16:17.920 --> 0:16:21.280 There's a lot of like spirit fingers going on inside 0:16:21.280 --> 0:16:24.040 the studio right now. Then you have the roundel, which 0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:27.400 bursts into a circle of maroon shells that then explode 0:16:27.520 --> 0:16:31.320 in sequence. Maroon shells is that the color actually no 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:36.200 In fireworks language, maroon shells are shells that make a 0:16:36.200 --> 0:16:38.560 boom noise. These are the ones that I really didn't 0:16:38.640 --> 0:16:41.560 like as a kid, the very loud bangs. So, by 0:16:41.600 --> 0:16:43.880 the way, again, the way you create that loud bang 0:16:43.920 --> 0:16:48.640 is you really compress that black powder in fireworks factories, 0:16:48.640 --> 0:16:50.440 the way I've seen this is that you create the 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:54.080 parchment shell, the black powder's in it. You then have 0:16:54.120 --> 0:16:57.840 that shell wrapped in string that is very tightly wound 0:16:57.840 --> 0:17:01.280 so it compresses it. Then you put wet parchment paper 0:17:01.360 --> 0:17:03.760 on the outside of it, tightly wrapped so that when 0:17:03.800 --> 0:17:06.520 it dries, it compresses it even more. Oh wow, yeah, 0:17:06.560 --> 0:17:07.280 pretty impressive. 0:17:07.560 --> 0:17:10.919 Our next type is the chrysanthemum shell, which bursts into 0:17:10.960 --> 0:17:14.320 like a spherical pattern of stars that leave a visible trail. 0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:16.680 So the effect is something like a chrysanthemum blossom. 0:17:16.760 --> 0:17:19.080 Yep. Then you have the pistol, the PI S T 0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:22.119 I L, which is like the chrysanthemum shell, but this 0:17:22.160 --> 0:17:24.360 one has a core that is a different color than 0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:26.760 the stars that fly out from the middle. So the 0:17:26.800 --> 0:17:28.879 middle is one color, the stars the second color. 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:30.960 You can have just a maroon shell. 0:17:31.240 --> 0:17:31.480 Yep. 0:17:31.760 --> 0:17:33.240 So if you just just a bang. 0:17:33.040 --> 0:17:37.159 Yeah, I hated those. And then you had the serpentine, 0:17:37.960 --> 0:17:41.719 which is my strategy, and halo which never works. But no, 0:17:41.800 --> 0:17:45.560 a serpentine fireworks shell bursts to send small tubes of 0:17:45.600 --> 0:17:49.760 incendiaries skittering outward at random paths, which may culminate an 0:17:49.760 --> 0:17:51.560 exploding stars. So if you ever see the ones that 0:17:51.600 --> 0:17:55.280 have like the crazy spinneys that fly off, yeah, those 0:17:55.280 --> 0:17:58.600 are serpentines. So those are your basic types of fireworks shells. 0:17:58.600 --> 0:18:01.400 Of course, there are other very on these, or there's 0:18:01.440 --> 0:18:03.800 some that use this as a basis and then they 0:18:03.960 --> 0:18:06.239 create a different effect. But if you were in the 0:18:06.240 --> 0:18:09.480 fireworks trade, those are the kind of terms you would 0:18:09.480 --> 0:18:11.439 be hearing, and people would just call them out as 0:18:11.440 --> 0:18:14.000 they would see them launch, like, oh, that's a round L, 0:18:14.080 --> 0:18:16.399 that's a serpentine. You wouldn't have to say that's a 0:18:16.400 --> 0:18:19.680 maroon because everyone would be going what But anyway. 0:18:19.480 --> 0:18:22.160 So we've talked a little bit about this, but actually 0:18:22.440 --> 0:18:26.359 launching fireworks, especially in terms of displays. 0:18:26.440 --> 0:18:29.520 So yeah, the basic one we've covered the idea that 0:18:29.560 --> 0:18:31.480 you know you have the slow burning fuse and the 0:18:31.600 --> 0:18:34.520 quick burning fuse. The quick burning one lights the black powder. 0:18:34.920 --> 0:18:36.600 One thing we didn't mention is that you do have 0:18:36.640 --> 0:18:38.760 to have a mortar, which is essentially a pipe that 0:18:38.800 --> 0:18:41.879 has a closed off end on one side. And you know, 0:18:41.920 --> 0:18:45.280 in the old days, you would essentially light the one 0:18:45.640 --> 0:18:50.199 main fuze, drop the package into the mortar, and then 0:18:50.400 --> 0:18:54.480 run the heck away before everything started going bonky. So 0:18:54.640 --> 0:18:58.960 once that lift charge ignites, it creates a lot of 0:18:59.040 --> 0:19:02.399 gas and that gas expands and that's what provides the 0:19:02.480 --> 0:19:04.960 thrust to push the package out of the. 0:19:04.920 --> 0:19:07.240 Mortar and into the air. So if this sounds a 0:19:07.280 --> 0:19:11.560 lot like our discussions about things like cannon and flintlock 0:19:11.600 --> 0:19:14.119 pistols and things of that nature, it's because it is. 0:19:14.200 --> 0:19:17.359 We're talking about expanding gases. It's the same thing that 0:19:17.480 --> 0:19:20.720 creates the the propulsion for your basic firearm. 0:19:20.840 --> 0:19:22.080 It's creating a push yep. 0:19:22.840 --> 0:19:25.840 So you've got your mortar and your your lift charge, 0:19:25.880 --> 0:19:27.639 and that's all you need to be able to launch 0:19:27.680 --> 0:19:31.680 it properly. These days we don't necessarily need to have 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:35.160 someone physically light a fuse and then dump it into 0:19:35.200 --> 0:19:36.000 a mortar. 0:19:35.760 --> 0:19:40.840 That does right. There are computerized fuses that will I 0:19:40.840 --> 0:19:42.760 mean not self light but no. No. 0:19:42.840 --> 0:19:45.440 What essentially you've got is you set up your your 0:19:45.480 --> 0:19:49.040 mortar system that already has the various packages in each 0:19:49.160 --> 0:19:52.080 mortar as it's supposed to be, and then you have 0:19:52.080 --> 0:19:55.040 an electrical charge that can create the spark to light 0:19:55.160 --> 0:19:58.760 the fuse, so that way everything can be done from 0:19:58.800 --> 0:20:01.920 a distance. You can either have it where it's manually done, 0:20:01.960 --> 0:20:03.960 where you push a button and that button is what 0:20:04.040 --> 0:20:06.520 creates the spark, or you could have it fully automated, 0:20:06.520 --> 0:20:09.320 where you've got a full program and you say, at 0:20:09.359 --> 0:20:13.080 this time stamp and when this program runs, this particular 0:20:13.160 --> 0:20:15.880 spark needs to happen, and in that case you can 0:20:15.960 --> 0:20:17.920 launch a firework. So this is where you get those 0:20:18.000 --> 0:20:22.000 big choreograph displays. Right, You've got a essentially a program 0:20:22.080 --> 0:20:24.960 that has a beginning to the end. And think of 0:20:25.000 --> 0:20:27.600 it like a video on YouTube. You would you look 0:20:27.600 --> 0:20:29.920 at the video and you'd see, oh, it's seven man's 0:20:29.920 --> 0:20:31.800 twelve minute twelve seconds long. I want to see what 0:20:31.840 --> 0:20:36.080 happens at minute three and twelve seconds and you go 0:20:36.160 --> 0:20:39.119 straight to that point and you look at that frame. Well, 0:20:39.160 --> 0:20:41.800 in this computer program, you would be able to see 0:20:41.880 --> 0:20:47.240 which switches were essentially being thrown electronically not mechanically necessarily 0:20:47.280 --> 0:20:49.959 these days, and you could say, oh, well, all right, 0:20:50.040 --> 0:20:55.280