The Kid Should See This

What is fire? Is it a solid, a liquid, or a gas?

Watch more with these video collections:

Sitting around a campfire, you can feel its heat, smell the woody smoke, and hear it crackle. If you get too close, it burns your eyes and stings your nostrils. You could stare at the bright flames forever as they twist and flicker in endless incarnations… But what exactly are you looking at?

What is fire? Is it a solid, a liquid, or a gas? Or is it a plasma? (It’s not.) Learn more about fire and the chemical reaction of combustion in this TED-Ed animated lesson by Elizabeth Cox, directed by HΓ©loΓ―se Dorsan Rachet.

Then learn more about fire with It’s Okay to Be Smart, visit The Fire Lab, and watch Spectroscopy of Stars. Bonus DIY science: Candle Chemistry.

🌈 Watch these videos next...

Why Do Hot Things Glow?

Rion Nakaya

What’s the chemistry and physics of a flame?

Rion Nakaya

What does it mean when some of a rainbow is missing?

Rion Nakaya

The Science Of Firework Color

Rion Nakaya

The Hidden Complexities of the Simple Match – Science Take

Rion Nakaya

The Fire Lab: Mapping the mysterious science of fire

Rion Nakaya

The Beauty of Flames

Rion Nakaya

Spectroscopy of Stars – Wonders of the Universe

Rion Nakaya

Matchsticks – How It’s Made

Rion Nakaya

Get smart curated videos delivered to your inbox.