By the end of the day on the Fourth of July, bombs will have burst in the air just about everywhere in the U.S. in celebration of our country’s birthday. From little bursts down on the corner in the neighborhood to giant blasts in Philadelphia or New York, the science for the explosion is pretty simple. You need sulfur, charcoal, potassium nitrate in a tube and a match. A shell with a 2” diameter may only launch a couple of hundred feet, but one with a two or three-foot diameter, and you can really reach for the sky. Happy Fourth!

07.04.23