• Question: Why does fire face up if gravity faces Down

    Asked by to Edward, Ian, Mathew, Naomi on 24 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Ian Stephenson

      Ian Stephenson answered on 24 Jun 2014:

      Heat rises!

      The flame is hotter than its surrounding air, so is lighter, and it floats.

    • Photo: Naomi Osborne

      Naomi Osborne answered on 24 Jun 2014:

      The heat makes the gases in the flame expand, so that they are lighter than cool air around the flame. The cold air around the fire pushes down because of gravity, causing the fire to face upwards – without gravity fire would go in all directions.

Comments