15 August 2009
Lycopodium stagecraft
Earlier this week I mentioned in a post that the Elizabethans used the spores of lycopodium to simulate lightning on the stage. Lockwood commented that videos were available, and I found quite a few on YouTube. One of the better ones is embedded above.
If you ever hear news reports of a grain elevator exploding, this is the priciple involved.
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I think there was a Mr. Wizard episode about this effect using really fine flour. Trying to remember back I thought it was explained that the small spaces between the very fine grains actually make little temporary combustion chambers which is why the solid doesn't burn and it only happens at specific particle densities which is why a bunch comes out before it fireballs (too dense in the beginning)
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