How does rubbing sticks together create fire? Well...the simple answer is physics. To get a better understanding however lets break it down into smaller pieces.


Piece one is friction. Friction is a force exerted, tangent to the surface, that resists the intended motion.

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 The surface of objects are not smooth. Moving the objects through the "hills" and "valleys" takes force. Friction is the resistance to that movement.

Piece two is the Law of the Conservation of Energy. The law states that energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transformed to a different form.

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 Energy changes forms but is not created. What began as chemical energy may become another form.

Piece three is the ingredients for success. Fuel, oxygen, and heat. These ingredients are often depicted as the fire triangle. When the proper amounts of these are present it allows for a chemical reaction that is fire.


Image Borrowed From http://www.pslc.ws/fire/images/firetria.gif
 The oxygen ingredient comes from the air. The fuel is the sticks. The heat is energy transfer from rubbing the sticks together.


Intro