Why do we blow on a match to put it out and blow on a fire to make it burn?

Question

And another thing, if there was a match, and we sloshed a bucket of petrol on it, there would be a massive explosion, no?

(forgive my stupidity)

Answer 1

Fire consists of three elements
Take one away and it cannot exist

and you can stub a cigarette out in petrol (or even aeroplane fuel)and nothing happens
but only the truly wise or the stupid will know i'm right

Answer 2

You need three things to combust - fuel, oxygen, and heat to start and maintain the reation.

By blowing on a match, the air you're blowing on it carries away the heat, dropping the temperature below that needed for combustion. Part of that, also, is that the heat actually turns some of the match into a gas and that is what mixes with the oygen and burns, when you blow on the match, this spread out the gas so that it is too dispersed to create a flame.

When you blow on a fire, you give it an extra supply of oxygen over what it naturally draws in by convection, so it speeds up the burning. If you blew hard enough, though, you could put that out also.

They use explosions to put out oil-well fires in that sort of way.

Regarding your other question, if you hit the match quickly enough with the liquid petroleum (gasoline), it would be overwhelmed by the liquid, but if enough of the petrol that had vaporized got to the match first, you would get an explosion. It's all timing in that case. But, again, it is acutally the vapor that mixes with the oxygen and burns, not the liquid petrol.

Answer 3

When you blow on a match the rate of air passing over the flame is enough to extinguish it. A match does not produce a large ember which is the heart of a fire.

When you blow on a fire, you do not blow the flames, you blow on the embers at the seat of the fire, this caused them to glow and heat up thus causing the fire to grow and burn hotter. The ratio or air blown onto the surface area is greatly reduced in this example so it does not extinguish the fire.

With the match, you would probably put out the match as it is the vapours that are flamable. You'd have much more fun mixing equal parts charcoal, sulphur and ******** nitrate. Pack it tight and light the fuse!

Answer 4

Its not that stupid, a lot of people do not understand fire. The 3 things fire neads is heat, oxygen, and fuel (such as wood). If you blow on something small to much like a match then its going to go out by losing its heat source. However when you blow on a fire thats going well your giving it more oxygen thats not taking away its heat and that is helping it go better. If you slushed a bucket of petrol on a fire that was going there would be very large flames but not an actual expolosion.

Answer 5

fire needs air to live if you blow on a match the gust of air is stronger than the fame due to the thickness of the wood.blow on a tree stump it wouldnt work. as for the petrol the vapour will ignite before the liquid therefore because of the density of petrol it would extinguish the match but because it wouild already be alight so bang hell of an explosion.....your forgiven

Answer 6

Blowing supplies oxygen and cools at the same time. If the blowing exceeds the need for oxygen and does enough cooling the fire goes out.

2) Not necessarily. If the gasoline doesn't have sufficient oxygen, it will put the flame out by smothering.

In the cotton gins they keep kerosene on hand to extinguish burning cotton bales. Water doesn't penetrate. The kerosene excludes oxygen and so smothers the flame.

Strange world.

Answer 7

no because of the bucket would overpower the ratio of the fire ,
because the petrol VAPOUR(fumes) are the explosive parts i dont think the match would blow up!
dont quote me on that one though!

Answer 8

Oxygen, fuel & heat R what is needed to have a fire. If U add more of any the fire gets hotter/bigger. U take 1 away & the fire is no longer. Hope this answers your question.

Answer 9

FIRE NEEDS O2 TO KEEP GOING BUT TO MUCH OF ANYTHING IS A BAD THING.... A MATCH IS SUCH A SMALL FIRE THAT TO MUCH AIR PUS IT OUT.... ON A FIRE IT IS SO BIG THAT IT IS ACTUALLY A FUEL

Answer 10

don´t think your being stupid, you need air for both functions