======Fire Tornado======


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**Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\
**Difficulty: **{{$demo.difficulty_description}}\\
**Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\
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**Categories:** {{$demo.categories}}
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**Alternative titles:** Spinning Fire Column
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====Summary====                   
{{$demo.summary}}



====Procedure====  
  - Roll a metal screen into a cylinder 2.5–3 feet tall, securing it with wire or staples.  
  - Place the cylinder upright on a rotating tray (Lazy Susan), ensuring it is centered.  
  - Set a small glass dish with pieces of sponge in the middle of the tray, ideally on a heat-resistant base.  
  - Soak the sponge pieces thoroughly with lighter fluid.  
  - Put on safety glasses and light the fire. Spin the tray gently without the screen to observe normal flames. Extinguish with a plate.  
  - Relight the fire, place the screen cylinder over it, and spin the tray. The rising hot air will twist into a fire tornado inside the screen.  
  - Remove the screen and extinguish the fire when finished.




====Links==== 
Fire Tornado Experiment (Physics) - BeardedScienceGuy: 
{{youtube>sIKrdIMz-EM?}}\\

How to Make a Fire Tornado - Cool Science Demo - TheSpanglerEffect: 
{{youtube>kz5dJ9SCu4M?}}\\

📄 Fire Tornado - Steve Spangler: [[https://stevespangler.com/experiments/fire-tornado/]]\\


====Variations====
  * Experiment with different mesh sizes or thicknesses of screen wire to see how the tornado shape changes.  
  * Try using a record player turntable as the rotating platform.



====Safety Precautions====
  * TEACHERS ONLY – This demonstration should only be performed by trained science demonstrators.  
  * Always wear safety glasses when handling fire.  
  * Keep a fire extinguisher nearby at all times.  
  * Perform in a well-ventilated area away from flammable materials.  
  * Never allow students or untrained individuals to handle lighter fluid or the flame.




====Questions to Consider====
  * Why does the fire not form a tornado without the screen? (The screen transfers angular momentum to the rising air, giving it a spin.)  
  * What natural conditions cause fire tornadoes in wildfires? (Strong updrafts of hot air combined with swirling winds through trees and terrain.)  
  * Why must the screen cylinder be centered on the tray? (If off-center, the screen wobbles and the tornado effect fails.)  
  * How does this model help firefighters understand real fire behavior? (It shows how airflow and heat can combine to create dangerous spinning fire columns.)