Mon Prof Augmenté
How Water Mist Fights Fire
Age 14 · Physics
Open to everyone until Tuesday, November 17
To keep it, print it while it is open.
Tiny water droplets soak up a lot of heat from hot smoke as they turn into steam. That steam takes up about 1700 times more space than the water did, so it pushes away the air a flame needs to keep burning.
In the picture
- Hot gas layer: the hottest smoke gathers under the ceiling
- Fine droplets: tiny drops have lots of surface, so they absorb heat fast
- Steam balloon: a little water becomes about 1700 times more volume as steam
- Smothered match: steam pushes away the air and the flame goes out
Examples
- Sprinkler and mist systems in hotels and ships spray fine droplets to cool a fire quickly
- A drop of water on a hot frying pan hisses and vanishes as it turns into steam
Key takeaways
- Turning water into steam absorbs a large amount of heat
- Steam takes up about 1700 times the volume of the water it came from
Quiz: How Water Mist Fights Fire (Age 14)
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When tiny water droplets turn into steam in a hot room, what happens to heat?
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Roughly how much more space does steam take up than the water it came from?
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How does the expanding steam help put out a flame?
The answers, each with its explanation, are in the app. This quiz is free there while the lesson is in the free week.
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