#How Stuff Works Feature Articles HowStuffWorks ICRA labels HowStuffWorks Search HowStuffWorks and the web ____________________ Submit Video | RSS | Random * Home * * Adventure * * Animals * * Auto * * Communication * * Computer * * Electronics * * Entertainment * * Food * * Geography * * Health * * History * * Home & Garden * * Money * * People * * Science * Awards and Organizations * * Earth Science * * Engineering * * Everyday Science * * Life Science * * Military * * Physical Science * * Space * * Supernatural Science * Home > * Science > * Earth Science > * Geophysics Next Page How Fire Works by Tom Harris * Print * Cite * Feedback * + E-mail This + Facebook + Digg This + Yahoo! Buzz + StumbleUpon + TwitThis + Reddit Share * Recommend Cite This! Close [icon_close.gif] Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks article: Harris, Tom. "How Fire Works." 14 May 2002. HowStuffWorks.com. 05 January 2010. Inside this Article 1. Introduction to How Fire Works 2. What is Fire? 3. Fire Variables 4. Lots More Information 5. See all Geophysics articles Understanding Fire: Understanding Fire Understanding Fire: Understanding Fire [bt_video_play.gif] * More Science Videos » Fire can destroy your house and all of your possessions in less than an hour, and it can reduce an entire forest to a pile of ash and charred wood. It's also a terrifying weapon, with nearly unlimited destructive power. Fire kills more people every year than any other force of nature. fire pic Jeremy Hoare/Life File/Getty Images Fire is one of the most important forces in human history. But at the same time, fire is extraordinarily helpful. It gave humans the first form of portable light and heat. It also gave us the ability to cook food, forge metal tools, form pottery, harden bricks and drive power plants. There are few things that have done as much harm to humanity as fire, and few things that have done as much good. It is certainly one of the most important forces in human history. But what is it, exactly? Up Next * How Fire Engines Work * How Smoke Detectors Work * ScienceChannel.com: How to Build a Fire _________________________________________________________________ To see this and other topics from a whole new perspective, check out slow-motion science on Discovery Channel's "Time Warp." The ancient Greeks considered fire one of the major elements in the universe, alongside water, earth and air. This grouping makes intuitive sense: You can feel fire, just like you can feel earth, water and air. You can also see it and smell it, and you can move it from place to place. But fire is really something completely different. Earth, water and air are all forms of matter -- they are made up of millions and millions of atoms collected together. Fire isn't matter at all. It's a visible, tangible side effect of matter changing form -- it's one part of a chemical reaction. 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