0:00:04.018,0:00:06.606
Uhm, excuse me.

0:00:07.081,0:00:08.606
Pardon me.

0:00:08.606,0:00:10.943
No, no no. Not up there.

0:00:10.943,0:00:13.140
I'm down here.

0:00:13.140,0:00:14.523
Yup.

0:00:14.523,0:00:15.736
Hello!

0:00:15.736,0:00:17.700
I am a scientist,

0:00:17.700,0:00:21.430
and I've come to improve[br]your situation just a bit.

0:00:21.430,0:00:23.368
See that fire over there?

0:00:25.318,0:00:28.918
Have you ever really wondered[br]what the flames are, from that fire?

0:00:28.918,0:00:30.738
I mean look at all of those colors.

0:00:30.738,0:00:33.158
And you feel that heat. It's hot, right?

0:00:33.158,0:00:35.933
Well gee, it must be torture[br]being around all these flames

0:00:35.933,0:00:37.723
and not knowing what they are.

0:00:37.723,0:00:39.599
Here, take a look at this cupcake.

0:00:39.599,0:00:42.585
You see a flame[br]on top of this delicious looking cupcake?

0:00:42.585,0:00:44.482
You do like cupcakes, don't you?

0:00:44.482,0:00:46.394
Let's take a closer look, shall we?

0:00:46.394,0:00:47.675
Fantastic!

0:00:48.385,0:00:50.765
If we look at the flame[br]on top of this cupcake,

0:00:50.765,0:00:52.660
we first notice a few things,

0:00:52.660,0:00:54.460
like all the colors.

0:00:54.460,0:00:57.642
At the bottom,[br]we have this blueish color.

0:00:57.642,0:01:00.596
On the top,[br]it's more yellow, orange and reddish.

0:01:00.596,0:01:02.504
Also, the flame is hot.

0:01:02.504,0:01:04.937
Why is it so flaming hot?

0:01:04.937,0:01:08.864
Well, to answer these questions,[br]you need to know something very important.

0:01:08.864,0:01:12.018
You see, everything is made up[br]of tiny things called atoms.

0:01:12.018,0:01:15.352
And these things are the building blocks[br]that make up everything!

0:01:15.352,0:01:16.839
And they're really small.

0:01:17.609,0:01:18.793
Smaller.

0:01:18.793,0:01:20.325
Smaller!

0:01:20.325,0:01:21.635
Even smaller!

0:01:21.635,0:01:24.330
Hey, look, you can't even see them,[br]they're so small.

0:01:24.910,0:01:26.357
Exactly!

0:01:26.587,0:01:29.406
Anything you can think of[br]is made up of atoms.

0:01:30.484,0:01:33.482
Yup, this air conditioner[br]is made up of atoms.

0:01:34.242,0:01:36.722
This delicious popsicle[br]is made up of atoms.

0:01:36.722,0:01:39.051
This ice water is made up of atoms.

0:01:39.051,0:01:42.804
Everything is made up[br]of billions and billions of atoms.

0:01:42.804,0:01:46.665
Now, this candle and flame are made up[br]of three kinds of atoms:

0:01:46.665,0:01:49.862
carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

0:01:49.862,0:01:52.060
The carbon[br]and the hydrogen are locked together

0:01:52.060,0:01:54.206
to form the solid wax and wick.

0:01:54.206,0:01:57.311
The oxygen is a gas all around us.

0:01:57.831,0:02:01.184
Normally,[br]the oxygen doesn't do much to the candle

0:02:01.184,0:02:05.124
It just bounces off of the surface,[br]not doing any real damage.

0:02:05.124,0:02:08.738
But when we add heat,[br]the oxygen atoms go bananas!

0:02:08.738,0:02:10.924
And they shake the wax, like crazy!

0:02:10.924,0:02:15.394
Until finally,[br]with enough force, they snap apart.

0:02:15.394,0:02:17.635
They leave the candle as a gas,

0:02:17.635,0:02:19.409
where they mix with the oxygen.

0:02:19.409,0:02:21.343
Uh-oh, I smell trouble.

0:02:21.343,0:02:25.620
Well, the fancy science word[br]for all of this is

0:02:25.620,0:02:27.062
pyrolysis.

0:02:27.062,0:02:29.781
It is the first thing[br]that needs to happen to get a flame.

0:02:29.781,0:02:32.234
It's when the fuel turns to a gas.

0:02:32.990,0:02:36.008
Now, let's see what happens[br]when these hot gasses combine.

0:02:36.008,0:02:38.914
(Announcer) Ladies and gentlemen,[br]in this corner,

0:02:38.914,0:02:41.473
he was once a solid, now he's a gas!

0:02:41.473,0:02:43.583
He's the fuel from the West!

0:02:43.583,0:02:48.023
And in this corner,[br]not one, but two groups of oxygen

0:02:48.023,0:02:49.079
Ready?

0:02:49.079,0:02:50.693
React!

0:02:51.323,0:02:55.266
Any time certain atoms get hit[br]hard enough,

0:02:55.266,0:02:57.329
they spit out blue light.

0:02:58.022,0:03:00.485
And because there are lots of atoms[br]getting hit hard

0:03:00.485,0:03:02.746
and lots of atoms spitting out blue light,

0:03:02.746,0:03:05.941
we get a blue flame.

0:03:05.941,0:03:08.637
Here comes another science word. Ready?

0:03:08.637,0:03:10.406
Chemiluminescence.

0:03:10.406,0:03:12.691
I know, it's a big one. One more time.

0:03:12.691,0:03:14.154
Chemiluminescence.

0:03:14.154,0:03:16.406
It's when atoms shine light[br]when they rearrange.

0:03:16.406,0:03:18.689
It's why flames are blue.

0:03:19.259,0:03:21.513
Now, the blue light is not hot.

0:03:21.513,0:03:22.881
Wait!

0:03:22.881,0:03:26.046
But the blue flame is really hot!

0:03:26.046,0:03:28.189
So if the blue light is not the hot part,

0:03:28.189,0:03:30.569
then what does make a flame so hot?

0:03:30.569,0:03:33.434
Well, remember our fuel atoms,

0:03:33.434,0:03:34.904
and our oxygen atoms?

0:03:34.904,0:03:36.681
They rearranged[br]to make new stuff,

0:03:36.681,0:03:38.934
like water and carbon dioxide.

0:03:38.934,0:03:41.567
And as they rearrange,[br]they snap together.

0:03:41.567,0:03:42.900
And with each...

0:03:42.900,0:03:43.786
(snapping sound)

0:03:43.786,0:03:46.422
the new thing shakes like crazy!

0:03:46.422,0:03:47.963
So when the rearranging is done,

0:03:47.963,0:03:49.525
we have lots of new stuff,

0:03:49.525,0:03:51.737
all shaking really fast!

0:03:51.737,0:03:54.537
If we put something close[br]to those raging atoms,

0:03:54.537,0:03:56.821
those atoms begin to shake[br]like crazy, too,

0:03:56.821,0:03:59.388
like the atoms in our fingers,[br]and that's heat.

0:04:00.248,0:04:03.188
This is called oxidation.

0:04:03.188,0:04:07.042
It's when the oxygen atoms combine[br]with other atoms to make new stuff.

0:04:07.042,0:04:09.547
It's why flames are so hot.

0:04:09.547,0:04:10.508
All right then,

0:04:10.508,0:04:13.192
why are most flames[br]yellow, orange and red?

0:04:13.192,0:04:15.419
Well, remember our first reaction?

0:04:15.419,0:04:18.885
We had one group of fuel atoms[br]and two groups of oxygen.

0:04:18.885,0:04:20.948
They made a flame that was very hot

0:04:20.948,0:04:22.559
and only blue.

0:04:22.559,0:04:25.317
But watch what happens[br]if there's not enough oxygen

0:04:25.317,0:04:26.911
and we take some away.

0:04:26.911,0:04:28.487
(Announcer) Ladies and gentlemen,

0:04:28.487,0:04:31.084
what happens[br]when there's not enough oxygen?

0:04:32.594,0:04:33.307
(audience gasp)

0:04:33.307,0:04:36.930
What's this?[br]A single carbon atom left all alone?

0:04:36.930,0:04:40.527
It's okay, because all of his left-over[br]carbon friends come to join him,

0:04:40.527,0:04:43.856
and they form large, black particles[br]we call soot.

0:04:43.856,0:04:45.225
Okay, they're not so large.

0:04:45.225,0:04:47.105
They're so small[br]we can't even see them.

0:04:47.105,0:04:50.162
But to a single atom,[br]they are enormous!

0:04:50.162,0:04:52.322
(Announcer) Enormous!

0:04:52.322,0:04:53.658
I know what you're thinking.

0:04:53.658,0:04:56.903
How do black particles make yellow flames?

0:04:56.903,0:04:58.126
Well, let me show you.

0:04:58.126,0:05:00.113
But first,[br]I need something big and black,

0:05:00.113,0:05:01.876
like this pitch fork, for example.

0:05:01.876,0:05:03.371
Excuse me, Sir, Your Evilness,

0:05:03.371,0:05:06.442
could you please place your pitch fork[br]in those scorching flames?

0:05:06.442,0:05:07.403
Thank you.

0:05:07.403,0:05:10.686
Big black objects are like sponges[br]that soak up heat!

0:05:10.686,0:05:12.409
They have to get rid of this energy,

0:05:12.409,0:05:14.565
so they spit it out by glowing!

0:05:14.565,0:05:18.247
The hotter they get,[br]the more brightly they glow!

0:05:18.247,0:05:20.677
Now, the same thing happens[br]with our soot particles.

0:05:20.677,0:05:23.264
They drink in heat[br]from all of those hot atoms.

0:05:23.264,0:05:24.946
And they glow brighter[br]and brighter,

0:05:24.946,0:05:27.303
until they look like this!

0:05:27.303,0:05:30.457
And because there are millions[br]and millions of soot particles,

0:05:30.457,0:05:32.077
all glowing hot,

0:05:32.077,0:05:33.920
we get this yellow flame.

0:05:33.920,0:05:36.293
This is called incandescence.

0:05:36.293,0:05:38.671
It's when the soot particles glow[br]because they're hot.

0:05:38.671,0:05:41.041
It's the reason why flames are yellow.

0:05:41.041,0:05:43.353
Well, that's it. That's what flames are.

0:05:43.353,0:05:45.938
I mean, who knew[br]cupcakes could be so much fun?

0:05:45.938,0:05:49.931
Remember, first, the fuel loses mass[br]and turns into a gas.

0:05:49.931,0:05:52.803
Before the next change is through,[br]atoms shine blue.

0:05:52.803,0:05:55.548
When the process is complete,[br]it gives off heat.

0:05:55.548,0:05:58.850
Extra carbon will grow red,[br]orange and yellow.

0:05:58.850,0:06:00.687
Hey, those are just like the lyrics

0:06:00.687,0:06:03.794
from that really awesome song[br]about flames.

0:06:03.794,0:06:05.822
You know, the one that goes:

0:06:05.822,0:06:08.054
♪ The fuel loses mass. ♪

0:06:08.054,0:06:09.419
♪ It turns to gas. ♪

0:06:09.419,0:06:11.792
♪ Before the next change is through, ♪

0:06:11.792,0:06:13.720
♪ some atoms shine blue. ♪

0:06:13.720,0:06:15.666
♪ When the process is complete, ♪

0:06:15.666,0:06:17.780
♪ it gives off heat. ♪

0:06:17.780,0:06:20.037
♪ Extra carbon will glow ♪

0:06:20.037,0:06:21.948
♪ red, orange, yellow. ♪

0:06:21.948,0:06:23.542
♪ The fuel loses mass. ♪

0:06:23.542,0:06:25.227
♪ It turns to a gas. ♪

0:06:25.227,0:06:27.996
♪ Before the next change is through, ♪

0:06:27.996,0:06:29.679
♪ some atoms turn blue. ♪

0:06:29.679,0:06:31.688
♪ When the process is complete, ♪

0:06:31.688,0:06:33.510
♪ it gives off heat. ♪

0:06:33.510,0:06:35.909
♪ Extra carbon will glow ♪

0:06:35.909,0:06:37.785
♪ red, orange, yellow. ♪

0:06:37.785,0:06:39.964
(chorus repeats)

0:06:39.964,0:06:43.138
(vocal backing: Pyrolysis)

0:06:43.138,0:06:46.240
(Chemiluminescence)

0:06:47.170,0:06:49.606
(Oxidation)

0:06:50.596,0:06:53.795
(Incandescence)

0:06:54.795,0:07:15.151
(repeat)

0:07:15.151,0:07:19.067
(song finishes)