What Would It Be Without Fireworks???
Did You Know? - Fireworks are combinations of gunpowder and other ingredients that explode with loud noises and colorful sparks and flames when they burn. Fireworks are also called pyrotechnics. Fireworks that only make a loud noise are called firecrackers. Fireworks are dangerous because they contain gunpowder. They should be handled only by experts.
Fireworks handled improperly can explode and cause serious injury to the untrained user. Most states prohibit the use of fireworks by individuals. The federal government limits the explosive power of fireworks that can be used by individuals.
How fireworks work: Fireworks rockets, also called skyrockets, operate on a principle close to that used in large military rockets. A fuse, which may be made of rolled paper soaked with saltpeter, ignites the coarse gunpowder charge, forming gases that stream out of the end of the paper tube.
This propels the rocket into the air. When the rocket is near its highest point of flight, the coarse gunpowder ignites the finer charge, and the finer charge explodes. The explosion breaks up the rocket and ignites many small firecrackers in the nose (forward section) of the rocket.
