Combustion
3 Minutes
Combustion for kids explains how substances react with oxygen to release heat and light, and how rockets burn in space. An English science lesson.
- What combustion is and how wood or gunpowder reacts with oxygen
- How burning produces a flame with high heat and light
- Why rockets carry oxygen to space and how car engines run
What this lesson teaches
Combustion is a chemical reaction that occurs when a substance ignites and reacts with oxygen, producing carbon dioxide, heat energy, light energy, and sometimes sound energy. It is the fundamental process behind fire, requiring air and specifically oxygen in order to take place.
How combustion works
Combustion happens when a material is ignited and chemically reacts with oxygen. For example, when a piece of wood is ignited, it reacts with oxygen to release carbon dioxide and heat energy. When gunpowder is ignited instead, the reaction with oxygen yields carbon dioxide along with heat energy and sound energy. In every case, the substance must combine directly with oxygen for the reaction to occur.
The difference between combustion and burning
- Burning occurs when a combustion reaction releases very high amounts of heat and light energy in the form of a visible flame.
- A lighted candle shows burning as a bright, flickering flame at its tip, which produces strong light and heat.
- Combustion is the chemical reaction taking place inside that allows the candle flame to continue burning.
- If there is no oxygen available in the surrounding air, the candle flame quickly goes out because combustion stops.
Combustion in rockets and car engines
- Because there is no air in space, rockets carry oxygen along with their fuel so combustion can still take place.
- Carrying their own supply of oxygen allows rocket engines to undergo combustion and produce fire to push the rocket upward into space.
- Inside a car engine, fuel is combined with incoming air so that combustion can take place properly.
- The combustion reaction inside the car engine pumps the piston, which powers the engine and allows the vehicle to drive fast.
Why air is essential on Earth
The air in the atmosphere contains the oxygen needed for both combustion and the survival of living organisms. Without atmospheric air, fuels cannot burn to power machines, and living things like plants, trees, creepers, cows, goats, and humans cannot survive. This makes ordinary air vital for everyday energy reactions as well as for life across the planet.