Happy (almost) Independence Day! In celebration of the upcoming festivities, we thought it’d be fun to dedicate this week’s blog to learning more about the science, chemistry and computation behind what’s undoubtedly the best part of the 4th of July: the fireworks!
Buying a handful of Phantom Fireworks in Wisconsin and setting them off in the street doesn’t require a lot of brain power. When the term “fireworks” elevates to “pyrotechnics,” however, that’s when an understanding of the chemical composition, engineering and programming becomes essential.
Putting together a great fireworks show requires a lot more than making things go boom! Check out this clip to see how a professional Pyrotechnician uses technology and chemistry to light up the sky:
This 4th of July, as you’re waiting for the big show to start, impress your friends and family with your newfound fireworks facts and trivia. See how many in your group can correctly name which chemical is responsible for each color. The winner doesn’t have to drive and gets to sleep in the car on the way home.
Many of us on the SciTech and MHTA team will be out for most of the week. So here’s wishing you a very happy and safe Independence Day!
Trekking with SciTech
This July and August we’ll be hitting the road, driving across our great state to visit as many SciTech interns and companies as we can!
You can come along by following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for a summer of live road trip updates, polls, videos and lots of fun pictures from our stops along the way.
Look for #TrekkingwithSciTech to stay up to date with our summer adventures. And be sure to tweet us your Minnesota site-seeing recommendations so Champ can take a selfie when we get there!
