What is fire?

[doberman_52]

yea, plasma is a very excited state, the fourth state of matter (gas, liquid, solid, and plasma), the closest place you will acctually find plasma is the sun, plasma cutters and stuff come close to being actual plasma but not quite, fire is created DURING a chemical change when heat and light are emited from the change, its not its own state of matter

[Steel]

no, plasma cutters is actual plasma, as are any electric arcs.

Fire is just the observable aspects of energy changing state. It is not a state on its own. The only reason we SEE fire (and not even always!) is from carbon glowing due to the heat, giving it its orange or yellow flame. The blue flame is from the energy of the molecules bonding and such, and it just happens to be on this side of the visual spectrum so you can see it, but theres a lot more energy there that meets the eye so to speak.

[doberman_52]

The way I understood plasma cutters was that the electricity got to spinning so fast that it got really close to the plasma state but doesnt quite turn into plasma

[mike@af]

Plasma cutters use an electrical arc to induce a plasma state. The cutter uses compressed air which is forced through a nozzle past the arc and the air is super heated to the state of plasma thus cutting right through the material.

[doberman_52]

Yea, I use one in school, our teacher made us learn what they do before we could even use it

[Interstate526]

i believe the light energy is created because the released heat energizes the electrons of the molecules and when the electrons reutern to lower energy states they release light. thats probably a little more detail than you're looking for though.

[CivicSlayr]

plasma cutters, fun fun.