why does water extinguish fire?
400798
There are actually 4 things required for combustion: heat, fuel, oxygen, and a chemical chain reaction. In firefighting we call this the fire tetrahedron... now by removing any one of the 4 things listed above, you halt the combustion process. Now by putting water on certain things, it can have a couple of effects. it either removes heat, or removes oxygen, depending on your source of combustion... now on certain things putting water on them will actually increase the combustion process...
570402
Nothing...unless you light a match, then...BOOM!  In the case of Oxygen and Hydrogen, you'll get pure water afterwards...that should put out the fire you just started :)\n(Not really)
794929
Fire is an exothermic reaction because it releases energy.\nIf the temperature increases, it's because the heat is getting out of the molecule and therefore the reaction releases energy: which means it is exothermic.
674458
Hydrogen peroxide is a very strong oxidizing agent, read, very reactive.  When it mixes with nitrogen it releases heat by chemical reaction (that's also what happens in a combustion engine like a car).  And it makes water.  The heat would make the water into steam and in an enclosed system the increase in the volume will creat pressure, like when you warm up water for tea and it has to escape by blowing through the hole with high speed.  I hope that makes sense.  I'm trying for laymens terms.  I am not sure I succeeded.
564576
Three examples off the top of my head:\n\n1. Thermometers.  As the temperature increases the liquid inside the thermometer expands to indicate a change in temperature.\n\n2. Fire protection sprinklers.  Look at the sprinklers you find in many public buildings.  The piping that runs to the sprinklers is usually filled with water, but are capped off at the sprinkler head.  On many sprinklers, above the cap is a small glass vial containing a liquid that will expand when heated (say, in a fire).  When the liquid expands, the increased pressure fractures the glass vial which releases the cap and allows water to flow from the sprinkler head.\n\n3. Fire suppression.  One primary reason that water is used to extinguish fires (especially in enclosed areas) is because water, when converted to steam, expands 1700 times.  Therefore, a small amount of water applied to a fire becomes a HUGE amount of steam, which forces the atmospheric air (and oxygen) out of the area and chokes the fire.
18125
well in chemistry ...you have to test it out for an instance: what will happen to sulfur if i add water to it? It becomes a dangerous acid.\n\nwhat happens if i add water onto fire? it turns off. remember always to b careful
1181278
When atoms (elements) are chemically combined to form molecules the combination makes an new substance with characteristics very different than each separate element.  Water extinguishes fire because it reduces heat and oxygen.  The fire does not break up the water molecules to form free hydrogen and oxygen.
238623
you need 3 things for fire, spark, oxygen and something to burn.  If you add water, you cut oxygen then, you have no fire
3831
The flame will heat the air molecules above it.These gas particles being free to move in any direction will move in the direction which has least opposition to it's motion .This is because the air above the gas has a lower density and hence is sparcer than the air below it .also the flame particles have a higher energy (due to their temperature)they tend to stay as far away from each other as possible .This creates a lower density of air around the flame .This low density sir will be pushed up by the surrounding air of higher density due to buoyant forces.Due to both these regions the flame has to move up
386954
Yes, it could be used, for two reasons.\n\nFire requires three components to occur,these are Fuel,Heat and Oxygen.\nRemoving any one of these will extinguish a fire.\nLiquid nitrogen would actually remove two, thus making it twice as effective!\n\nHope this helps.
850750
The two hydrogen atoms' single electrons fill the outer shell of the oxygen atom... this makes water (mostly) chemically inert.  Since combustion is simply rapid oxidation... it could be argued that the hydrogen is already oxidized... making water...\n\nElectrolysis can seperate the hydrogen and oxygen... but this is not combustion.
147861
Fires need oxygen to burn.
909938
water and fire I think
105813
Because water cunducts electricity. Thus if you put water on something electronic the power can go wherever the water is, burning whatever it touches.
635899
it deprives the fire of oxygen which it needs to burn.. so it puts the fire out...
97767
Uh, your question is miscategorized\nthe metabolic process is not fire \njust because it shares a single characteristic\ninterestingly the products of hydrocarbon combustion \nare CO2 + H2O\n\nIf you get a 90% efficient furnace it will condense water in the exhaust stack
242191
everything can burn at a high enough temp\nthey melt before burning because of physical properties\nit is part of the solid-liquid-gas chain\n***get smarter, dude, it is possible, have you ever thrown water on a fire that was 50,000 degrees?