This may sound like a dumb question, but I'm not a physics type person. Does fire...?

Question

burn differently in different temperatures? I know, of course, that rain or snow or other weather related elements would affect it, but what about two environments where, assuming no rain/snowfall, the only difference between the two is an extreme difference in temperature? Thanks!

Thanks, LOL! AFA how extreme the temps are, I guess I mean if one temperature is, say 150 degrees F and the other is -150. Additionally, at some point does it become actually too cold for fire to gain a foothold?

Answer 1

Depends on how extreme you are talking about. If you get hot enough, the atoms have so much thermal energy that chemical bonds cannot be maintained; this is the case at the surface of the sun. Under more ordinary conditions, heat will encourage a fire to burn faster because the combustible material will require less heating to reach ignition temperature.

Answer 2

Fire needs three things = 1] fuel, 2] Oxygen [Air], 3] Ignition
Fuels are different = solids, liquids, gases
Fire wood, gasoline and cooking gas are examples.
If the wood is very dry you will get a higher temperature for a given mass of firewood, if the firewood is not fully dry and has moisture it is sure going to burn slower and also produce a lower temperature
Caloric values of fuels vary
The higher the caloric value the higher the temperature.
So given all conditions to be equal, fires of different fuels will burn at different temperatures
The same goes with the availability of oxygen, a gentle breeze will gently propagate a fire, while a strong wind will rage the fire, if the flame is controlled in a space the temperature will be higher.
There are many factors involved in the temperature of a fire and rate of burning.

Answer 3

Hi. In a building firefighters experience different forms of fire. These forms are temperature/environment controlled. A hot fire without sufficient oxygen may be hot but slow moving. Introduce air (oxygen) and it becomes quite a different creature. So yes, it can act differently. (There are no dumb questions.)

Answer 4

Yes

Answer 5

Yes.