Fire is defined by the Columbia Encyclopedia as- Rapid burning of combustible material with the evolution of heat and usually accompanied by flame. It is one of the human race's essential tools, control of which helped start it on the path toward civilization. This is the research I have collected regarding the different reactions fire has on certain things and related materials. All this information was found on the Internet, the Encyclopedia Britannica, The Columbia Encyclopedia, and The Encyclopedia Expedia.

Combustion is a rapid chemical reaction of two or more substances with a characteristic liberation of heat and light; it is commonly called burning. The burning of a fuel (e.g., wood, coal, oil, or natural gas) in air is a familiar example of combustion. Combustion need not involve oxygen; e.g., hydrogen burns in chlorine to form hydrogen chloride with the liberation of heat and light characteristic of combustion. Combustion reactions involve oxidation and reduction. Before a substance will burn, it must be heated to its ignition point, or kindling temperature. Pure substances have characteristic ignition points. Although the ignitio

The Boiling Point is a temperature at which a substance changes its state from liquid to gas. A stricter definition of boiling point is the temperature at which the liquid and vapor (gas) phases of a substance can exist in equilibrium. When heat is applied to a liquid, the temperature of the liquid rises until the vapor pressure of the liquid equals the pressure of the surrounding gases. At this point there is no further rise in temperature, and the additional heat energy supplied is absorbed as latent heat of vaporization to transform the liquid into gas. This transformation occurs not only at the surface of the liquid (as in the case of evaporation) but also throughout the volume of the liquid, where bubbles of gas are formed. The boiling point of a liquid is lowered if the pressure of the surrounding gases is decreased. For example, water will boil at a lower temperature at the top of a mountain, where the atmospheric pressure on the water is less, than it will at sea level, where the pressure is greater. In the laboratory, liquids can be made to boil at temperatures far below their normal boiling points by heating them in vacuum flasks under greatly reduced pressure. On the other hand, if the pressure is increased, the boiling point is raised.

n point of a substance is essentially constant, the time needed for burning to begin depends on such factors as the form of the substance and the amount of oxygen in the air. A finely divided substance is more readily ignited than a massive one; e.g., sawdust ignites more rapidly than does a log. The vapors of a volatile fuel such as gasoline are more readily ignited than is the fuel it

Some topics in this essay:
Evaporation Evaporation, Combustion Combustion, Boiling Boiling, Melting Melting, Temperature Temperature, Columbia Encyclopedia, Fahrenheit Fahrenheit, Celsius Celsius, heat applied, scale temperature, temperature scale, atmospheric pressure, energetic molecules, 100 degrees, celsius scale, temperature difference, combustion combustion, scale temperature scale, surface liquid, Factors Fire, liquid heat applied, amount oxygen air, pressure surrounding gases, boiling water divided,