Wildfires in the Lab: Simple Experiment and Models for the Exploration of Excitable Dynamics

Autor/inn/en	Punckt, Christian; Bodega, Pablo S.; Kaira, Prabha; Rotermund, Harm H.
Titel	Wildfires in the Lab: Simple Experiment and Models for the Exploration of Excitable Dynamics
Quelle	In: Journal of Chemical Education, 92 (2015) 8, S.1330-1337 (8 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0021-9584
DOI	10.1021/ed500714f
Schlagwörter	Models; Scientific Concepts; Scientific Literacy; Scientific Principles; Science Experiments; Simulation; Chemistry; Fire Protection; Fire Science Education; Forestry; Natural Disasters; Science Activities; High School Students; College Students; Teaching Methods + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Analogiemodell; Simulation program; Simulationsprogramm; Chemie; Brandbekämpfung; Fire prevention education; Brandschutzerziehung; Forstwissenschaft; Waldwirtschaft; Natural disaster; Naturkatastrophe; High school; High schools; Student; Students; Oberschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; Collegestudent; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode
Abstract	Wildfires lead to the loss of life and property in many parts of the world. Understanding their dangers and, more particularly, the underlying dynamics which lead to fires of catastrophic scale contributes to better awareness as well as prevention and firefighting capabilities within the affected areas. In order to enable a basic understanding of the mechanisms of fire propagation for high school and college students, we present here simple model experiments using match sticks that demonstrate the dangers of spatial coupling between individual reactive (combustible) elements leading to rapid spreading of the combustion reaction. Supplemented with easy-to-grasp numerical simulations, our work illustrates the dynamics of wildfires in impressive but controllable ways and puts wildfire propagation into the fascinating framework of excitable active media which have many equivalents in chemical, ecological, biological or societal systems. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Division of Chemical Education, Inc and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01