Fire Starter (Fire Piston)

Demo Number	077
Location	Shelf 10
Description	This shows temperature increases when a fixed mass of gas is compressed.
Related Demos
Tips	Compress the air inside the tube using the plunger. Cotton at the bottom of the tube will ignite when pressure is increased rapidly. Use a very small piece of cotton – almost as small as possible. Can use paper as well. Same process as to how a diesel engine works. This also demonstrates the need for oxygen to support combustion by showing that re-ignition will only occur if the piston is completely removed to allow a fresh supply of air. The apparatus can also be used to demonstrate cloud formation.

Colorado State University