any help is welcome!
2007-07-10 13:27:08 · 8 answers · asked by PW_AD_TH 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
the main reason is because it takes a lot of heat out of the reaction. water takes an unusually large amount of heat for it to increase temperature. so by throwing water onto a fire, it takes a lot of heat away and fire needs heat to keep burning.
also, water will block oxygen from getting to the fire. yes, there is oxygen in water but it's tide tightly to hydrogen molecules with hydrogen bonds which are very strong. so basically the oxygen in water can't be used by the fire. instead, it's blocking free oxygen from the air from getting into the reaction. so water basically takes 2 of the 3 ingredients of fire out of the equation. fire = fuel + oxygen + heat
2007-07-10 13:34:40 · answer #1 · answered by brandon 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There are 3 things required to maintain a fire: heat, fuel and oxidizer.
Putting water on a fire will first cool it, as the water will absorb the heat; but the water evaporating will also displace the air, cutting the oxygen from the fuel.
With no heat and no oxygen, the fire is put out.
2007-07-10 20:32:44 · answer #2 · answered by Vincent G 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If you spray water on, say, burning wood, the fire may be extinguished. The reason for this is twofold.
1. Water will cool the burning material, by conduction and by evaporation.
2. Water will cover the burning material, preventing oxygen from reaching the fuel source (which is necessary for the fire to continue).
2007-07-10 20:33:44 · answer #3 · answered by lithiumdeuteride 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
First, the water cools the substance burning.
The water vaporises to steam at about 1,600 times its water volume and removes the latent heat of vaporisation from the hot fuel and surroundings. This huge volume of relatively cool steam will also cool the substance, and, the steam will blanket the fire thus excluding the Oxygen.
2007-07-10 23:18:33 · answer #4 · answered by Norrie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Two ways:
* Vaporizing the water reduces temperature below ignition temp. - Combustion ceases.
*Water vapor decreases relative concentration of oxygen below the level that will support combustion.
2007-07-10 20:33:27 · answer #5 · answered by Irv S 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
By lowering the materials temperature below the combustion temperature.
2007-07-10 20:32:51 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It can lower the flash point of the fuel, it can create a cloud of steam thus starving the flame of oxygen.
2007-07-14 11:18:53 · answer #7 · answered by johnandeileen2000 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Water blocks oxygen, so there's no capability to burn.
2007-07-10 20:34:28 · answer #8 · answered by ? 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋