Today we went to the Singapore Science Centre. We also went there last time we were here but there is new stuff here now.

One of the demonstrations was a Fire Tornado! The man told us that a fire needs fuel, oxygen and an ignition source to get it started. Without any one of these, you can’t have a fire.

Then he put some fuel into the bottom of a huge glass cylinder, and lit it with a long stick.

At the bottom of the cylinder were vents for the air to get in. The vents were all angled. As the hot air from the fire went up (hot air always goes up) more air gets sucked in through the bottom vents. Because the vents are at an angle, the air comes in travelling in a spiral. That’s what makes the fire tornado!

It was quite hot! We were standing about 2 and a half meters away and could still feel the warmth.