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Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. [1] [a] At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are produced.
Flammable solids are solids that are readily combustible, or may cause or contribute to fire through friction. Readily combustible solids are powdered , granular, or pasty substances that easily ignite by brief contact with an ignition source, such as a burning match, and spread flame rapidly. [ 6 ]
The increased social interaction from gathering around the fire may have fostered the development of language. [ 45 ] Another effect of fire use on hominid societies was that it required larger groups to work together to maintain the fire, finding fuel, portioning it onto the fire, and re-igniting it when necessary.
Fire making, fire lighting or fire craft is the process of artificially starting a fire. It requires completing the fire triangle , usually by heating tinder above its autoignition temperature . Fire is an essential tool for human survival and the use of fire was important in early human cultural history since the Lower Paleolithic .
The heat eventually turns the wood at the point of contact into charcoal, which is ground to a powder by the friction, that collects into the "V" notch. Continuing operation eventually ignites the charcoal dust producing a tiny ember, which can be used to start a fire in a "tinder bundle" (a nest of stringy, fluffy, and combustible material). [4]
The first successful friction match was invented in 1826 by John Walker, an English chemist and druggist from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham. He developed a keen interest in trying to find a means of obtaining fire easily.
Fluid friction describes the friction between layers of a viscous fluid that are moving relative to each other. [7] [8] Lubricated friction is a case of fluid friction where a lubricant fluid separates two solid surfaces. [9] [10] [11] Skin friction is a component of drag, the force resisting the motion of a fluid across the surface of a body.
From the Iron Age forward, until the invention of the friction match in the early 1800s by John Walker, the use of flint and steel was a common method of fire lighting. Percussion fire-starting was prevalent in Europe during ancient times, the Middle Ages and the Viking Age. [3] [6]