Learn English – word for an individual spark in a firework
single-word-requestsword-choice
For example, what would the single spark in the red 'circle' be called?
Best Answer
The correct technical name for a single spark of a firework is a "star". Each star is a small roughly spherical pellet made mainly of gunpowder.
A fuse ignites a lifting charge and a time-delay fuse. Whilst the lifting charge burns, it propels the firework into the air, then near to the peak of its trajectory the time-delay fuse ignites a bursting charge packed behind the stars. This bursting charge both ignites and distributes the stars. Chemical additives in the stars determine their burn colour. They are called stars both before and after ignition.
You can find many labelled diagrams of the inner workings of fireworks if you search online for "anatomy of a firework" or similar. Here is one example:
Circles and ovals are both types of ellipses. An 'oval' is really the informal term for an 'ellipse', whereas a 'circle' is an ellipse where the semi-major and semi-minor axes are equal.
If you're talking about higher-dimensions, the word you are looking for is probably ellipsoid. (A sphere is an example.)
Edit: I'm not sure what I exactly I was imagining in terms of "oval" at the time, but I was probably wrong to call it a type of ellipse. In fact, it does not have a precise mathematical definition, so saying one is a type of the other doesn't make much sense either way. All it means is, loosely, "egg-like" in shape. A circle, however, is a specific type of ellipse, as mentioned originally.
Best Answer
The correct technical name for a single spark of a firework is a "star". Each star is a small roughly spherical pellet made mainly of gunpowder.
A fuse ignites a lifting charge and a time-delay fuse. Whilst the lifting charge burns, it propels the firework into the air, then near to the peak of its trajectory the time-delay fuse ignites a bursting charge packed behind the stars. This bursting charge both ignites and distributes the stars. Chemical additives in the stars determine their burn colour. They are called stars both before and after ignition.
You can find many labelled diagrams of the inner workings of fireworks if you search online for "anatomy of a firework" or similar. Here is one example: