Dang this Wesley, when I tell him to spam, I don't mean literally! Seriously, post something useful lar! WESLEY, I HOPE YOU ARE READING THIS! YOU HEAR ME!?
Now, let's get on with something more awesome. Obviously, I won't be expecting quite a lot of audience soon. I mean, come on, look how dusty this blog has become. Sometimes, I wish my asst would have posted more stuff. =='
Anyway...
Imagine you're in the jungle, but...
YOU HAVE NO MATCHES
You search your bagpack, but...
YOU HAVE NO LIGHTER
What kind of scout are you huh? No matches, no lighter? Just some old water purifying potassium permanganate and some glycerol?
Wait a minute, you ask yourself...
If you were to mix those two, stand back for some pyrotechnic, because you'll get a Exothermic Reaction. Now, Exothermic means it releases energy - in this case, heat and light energy.
Opposite of Exothermic would be Endothermic. But that won't matter when you are stranded in a forest with nothing but your mad survival skills eh?
Okay, while travelling through a jungle, I would not advise you to bring Concentrated Sulphuric acid though. But if you do get your hands on some of it, you can soak a piece of cotton in Alcohol, dip a stick into the sulphuric acid, then use the acid-coated end to pick up some potassium permanganate crystals. Bring the stick to the cotton and KABOOM!
Ok well, not really a kaboom, but it's more of a fizz. The oxidation reaction is so rapid, it releases a lot of heat. The alcohol-soaked cotton reaches flash point under those heat, at which it bursts into flame.
That's just something for you to know, but I would not even advise you to take a beaker full of Concentrated Sulphuric acid. It's bad for your skin. Oh, I even doubt the Chemical distributors will even sell it to you.
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Suppose that Chemistry is not your first choice, then you can always stick to using Physics - FRICTION!
As you know, friction happens when two surfaces rub against each other. It resists motion. It's a very big disadvantage for those who loves their shoes. Yea, friction wears off your shoes. But friction is not always bad, provided you have the patience.
The theory goes like this, and I guess all of you should know it quite well by now:
You rub two sticks with each other, producing enough heat to ignite the tinder. Sounds easier said than done though, but it's possible.
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Okay, so rubbing sticks isn't your choice either? Well, don't worry, we still got a few more to go. Here's something I learn from watching Survivorman (I don't remember who is the man in the show).
What that guy in the show did to get fire was, he pulled a strand of cotton from his socks. Just a strand. That's basically a very simple tinder.
Then, he took a cacat lighter, which cannot light up, but has flint sparks. He placed the cotton on the mouth of the lighter, then he flicked the rolling thingie, as in how you would light a normal lighter. Just a few attempts, then apparently, the sparks are hot enough to ignite the cotton. Cool eh?
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What? Even that doesn't impress you? Now, here's a very cool tool: A fire piston
Basically, it uses the theory that states that Pressure is proportional to Temperature. So, by increasing the pressure rapidly (you push the piston down quickly), it compresses the air in the piston, increasing the pressure. The rapid increase in pressure quickly raises the temperature. So, high temperature, you'll get fire, no?
Now, where can I get one of these babies?
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You still want some more? Well, I don't think I have anymore, besides the conventional "polish the underside of a can with chocolate to make a converging mirror" or "using a magnifying glass".
Anyway, that's all for today's Science in Scouting!
