The Hidden Science of Fireworks
This is the biggest, brightest, hottest video there is about the science of fireworks. This video is brought to you by Kiwico - go to kiwico.com/veritasium for your first month free!
If you're looking for a molecular modeling kit, try Snatoms - a kit I invented where the atoms snap together magnetically: snatoms.com
Check out Gene’s channel here -- @PotatoJet
Massive thanks to Mike Tockstein from Pyrotechnic Innovations @PyroInnovations
and Will Scott from Las Vegas Display Fireworks Inc, for all your pyro knowledge and keeping us safe.
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Massive thanks to Gene Nagata from PotatoJet for filming this episode - check out his wonderful channel for more videos about cameras and FPV drones.
Thanks to Brandon Williams for helping with the chemistry and sourcing of materials.
Thanks to Matthew Tosh for the help with the chemistry conversation about fireworks.
Thanks to Simon Werrett for the help with the history of fireworks.
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Werrett, S. (2010). Fireworks: pyrotechnic arts and sciences in European history. University of Chicago Press
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Special thanks to our Patreon supporters:
Emil Abu Milad, Tj Steyn, meg noah, Bernard McGee, KeyWestr, Amadeo Bee, TTST, Balkrishna Heroor, John H. Austin, Jr., john kiehl, Anton Ragin, Diffbot, Gnare, Dave Kircher, Burt Humburg, Blake Byers, Evgeny Skvortsov, Meekay, Bill Linder, Paul Peijzel, Josh Hibschman, Mac Malkawi, Juan Benet, Ubiquity Ventures, Richard Sundvall, Lee Redden, Stephen Wilcox, Marinus Kuivenhoven, Michael Krugman, Sam Lutfi.
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Written by Derek Muller
Edited by Trenton Oliver
Animated by Ivy Tello and Fabio Albertelli
Filmed by Derek Muller, Hunter Peterson, Gene Nagata, Raquel Nuno
Production by Hunter Peterson and Stephanie Castillo
Additional video/photos supplied by Mike Tockstein/Pyrotechnic Innovations
Music from Epidemic Sound & Jonny Hyman
Produced by Derek Muller, Petr Lebedev, Emily Zhang, & Casper Mebius
Veratasium in 2050: *We made nuclear weapons to explain every aspects of it*
Amog
i hope we will see this earlier. i dont want to wate 3 decades
Veritasium in 2051: **crickets**
Us
Oppenheimer did it first
Hell yeah! Thanks for letting me fly through the finale!! Biggest Adrenalin rush while flying ever! Felt like I was in Star Trek or something!
Great flying and beautiful shots! I also fly FPV drones (although I do freestyle and not cinematography), and I have to say that your flying was impressive, especially considering how disorienting it is to fly in the dark!
amazing shots! even after crashing and repairing once
This needs to be pinned!
You just saved me from starting a comment with [SPOILER ALERT] Man: Like a 80's scifi movie flying through galaxies. Really impressive
It was like flying through stars!
My only question is: who picked up bird poop, a yellow rock, and some honey, mixed them together, and decided to burn it?
Alchemist
Quantum mechanics and fireworks was the most unexpected crossover of all time
Fr i Hope next season gonna be as dope as this one
Fr i Hope next season gonna be as dope as this one
Fr i Hope next season gonna be as dope as this one
Fr i Hope next season gonna be as dope as this one
Fr i Hope next season gonna be as dope as this one
Those drone shots were almost as though the drone was flying through the universe and passing around stars, it was so cool
agreed
That's what I thought
Or a WW2 bomber approaching their target (as my Great Uncle described it, except those fireworks could shred your plane).
FF13 vibes
Made the Interstellar theme play in my head lol
This is not a KZhead video... This is a mini high quality film. What an outstanding production level here!. Congrats Derek and V team
It's really not even close. This is the exact production level of plenty of channels
@@tyler2010Drop some names then
Most definitely!
@@sgr7155depends what your interests are. What type of content do u want?
yea this is history channel type stuff
That drone footage through the fireworks made me tear up a bit. It was truly beautiful and a sight to behold. Lovely time to live in :)
LOVED this video! Was like Deja Vu! I went through all of this about 5 years ago when I started making my own fireworks and rocket engines! From homemade black powder to r-candy, right down to flying FPV quadcopters through fireworks! My favorite pyrotechnic mix is currently sulfur-zinc flash powder! MUCH easier to make and is non-hydroscopic so easier to store as well! You can also change the deflagration rate! I currently use it to make projectiles for my homemade rocket launcher! Come try it sometime! ;-)
That sounds awesome! Got any tutorials? 🤪
You’ve been on KZhead for well over a decade and you’ve only commented on 9 different things. No idea who you are yet but feel sort of honoured in a weird way to see this
@@Jessepigman69 I’ve commented on 9 things in the last month… I post a lot.
@@Jessepigman69that is 9(10) On this channel
The "standard" potassium perchlorate and aluminium is also non-hygroscopic and can probably be stored for decades. But yes, it might be too powerful for some applications.
*Those drone shots were epic!*
Gene did such a good job!
See drone shots of Diwali.
Probably the most awesome footage I've seen on YT
DutchDroneGods fly through fireworks all the time, epic shots 🎉
There is more good drone shots from inside fireworks in the videos of the closing shows of some music festivals. The ones I can think of are defqon 1 and decibel outdoor, they both have some more really cool drone shots like this in their closing shows:)
i haven't actually thought about the amount of effort put into all these videos until now. this one was truly incredible, so were all the other videos! thank y'all so much!
it's evident how much work goes in, because otherwise, the margin of latenss wouldn't be 2 whole days after july 4th
Bot
That was utterly enthralling and the display and fpv footage gave me goosebumps! Massive props to all involved, and the great sponsor.
How is no one talking about that gorgeous vortex ring at 10:48? I mean LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT BEAST!!! Amazing catch!!!
The reason why copper can produce green and blue colors depending on the environment is that copper ions can exist as cuprous (Cu+) and cupric ions (Cu2+). Cuprous ions produce blue flame color, while cupric ions produce a green one in the presence of halide ions. When a flame contains reducing agents in excess (e.g. candle flame or burning alcohol), then the cupric ions get reduced to Cu+, so the flame will turn from green to blue. As the cuprous salts are generally not stable, blue fireworks usually contain Cu2+ salts and the rest of the mixture is made to have a strong reducing environment (fuel excess), so the cuprous ions are formed in situ during the combustion.
Nice, this is something I never knew! Thanks!
@@raed.gilani Coincidentally, I had a similar question to this one appear on my grade 12 final exam (for chemistry). However, the answer was never part of the course material and the question was asked to test our ability to think about the behaviour of atoms/ molecules, without regurgitating quotes from a textbook. My final results were good enough to guarantee me a place in the university of my choice. I ended up doing a BSc with a double major in organic chemistry, as my first degree. I tells ya, the world around us and the universe around it, make so much more sense when you understand chemistry. It gives you the grounding needed to understand how, when and why an atom/ molecule will or won't react with its environment. You understand how "life" is just a series of self-sustaining biochemical reactions and you can see how inanimate matter can easily become living tissues, through entirely natural processes. That's not to say that studying university-level chemistry WILL turn you into an atheist. It WILL show you matter can form from energy, how life can come from non-life and how evolution works on a molecular level. In other words, you'll learn how everything in the universe works and how it was formed and none of those answers are ever "God did it." They are all answers that you can test for yourself in a lab, seeing the truth for yourself. It doesn't teach that God doesn't exist, rather it shows you how God isn't necessary, isn't needed for anything that exists.
@@raed.gilani he won't be able to understand, yet you were "lucky" enough to be born into a Muslim family, which is the one and only reason you believe what you do. This coincidence is the only reason you are privileged enough to "know the truth" while everyone who was unlucky and not born into a Muslim family got screwed. Right? Yeah. I know. Brainwashing is real. Just have to start early. It's all good, I know that no amount of logic and common sense can snap you out of it at this point. Christians are right, Jews are right, Muslims, Buddhists, and the thousands of other religions are all correct! And all the gods of every religion apparently exist, too! Isn't it amazing? Except the poor saps who were born into secular families all got screwed and are going to hell I guess. Hey--keep on believing bro, whatever makes you happy. Just chill with that high and mighty ego you got going on there. Never forget that the only reason YOU "understand" is because your parents started brainwashing you before you reached the age of reason. Just like everyone who who "understands" their own beliefs, which you wouldn't understand either.
@@raed.gilaniseriously no other religion talks about jins (other worldly beings ) ...I highly doubt tht!
10th grade islamic preacher on a science channel. Religion says you absolutely can't question God, Science says that God is probably fake, big oof.
Derek's storytelling is insane right now. From start and end from the same evil spirit's line. Just the perfect way to join multiple footages, different locations and topics woven together as a complete story. To take the explanation parts and seamlessly transitions to practical demonstration, fun, self exploration. From teaching us and being taught and the constant voiceover during it. JUST LOVED IT. this must be my favorite video of yours's in every aspects.
Damn right. It felt like really good TV growin up. I wish there was a this kind of video about everything as a repository to teach kids. 31 and this video brought me IN.
Taking notes from mr beast
Those drone shots were breathtaking, impossibly amazing, absolutely stunning, totally epic. It felt like straight out of an action movie.
I've always loved fireworks. Just watched this video midday today (Sat, 26Aug2023). In my town, when the local baseball team wins a home game, they set off a fireworks display, which can be observed from many locations, whether one was present for the game or not. Our team won tonight, and this video allowed me to appreciate the show in brand new ways! Great job, Derrick, and all you (and all of you) have created with Veritasium! Kudos, and please keep it up!
It's actually insane to me how you can upload such good quality content this often Thank you Veritasium and all people involved in this channel
It helps when you have an endless supply of money, and a team of 30 people.
You say that on every video 😂
@@tubester4567Yet planning and finding topics isn't that easy
Don't be such a fan of someone or metaphysical explanations which makes you forget more important issues such as Purpose of Life/ Reason for Creation which are perhaps more important for most humans. First thing which has to be considered is - There has to be One Absolute Truth/ Objective Reality (100%) [regardless of what different scientists, ph.ds, doctors, philosophers, societies, religions, cultures, individuals, etcetera believe]. The rest could be either some Truth with some Falsehood mix in it (no matter in whatever ratio/ percentage it is in) or Complete Falsehood/ Delusion (100% Wrong). And, its something like this -: If Analogy is to be used our Body is like a Hardware of the Computer and our Soul is like a Software. Just as Computer's Hardware is Useless without a Software, similarly, a Body is also Useless /Lifeless without a Soul. We go through 5 Phases in our Life :- 1. The Realm (outside of this material Universe) where we took an oath & chose to be granted free will (The Testimony of believing in Only One God by our soul), 2. In our mother's womb (9 months) - The soul is breathed into the body, which gets created from a single molecule through a unique DNA🧬 (An Instruction Manual/ A Program/ Code) fashioned/ programmed by Creator. And, as the soul enters a body that's from where our consciousness and conscience comes (it happens with a lightning speed i.e. in a fraction of a second which Scientists/ Doctors couldn't able to capture it), 3. On Earth 🌎 (On an average of about 60-70 years) [Commencement of Test with the development of conscience], 4. In the Grave (The time frame from our death till the Day of Judgment/ Resurrection) & 5. In Paradise or Hell (Eternal Life). All are Temporary except after the Resurrection. So, the consciousness in brain 🧠 gets activated when soul enters the body & through soul the conscience (sense of right and wrong) of heart gets activated (including feelings like joy, pain, anger, etc.).
@@supernatural_forces🤓
Blue and purple are the hardest colors to achieve due to their temperature needs, which Derek saw first hand trying to use the sprays. As someone who's worked with fireworks for 15+ years now, it's great to see a video like this be spread to the masses.
Yankies purple is easy but you are correct about blues.
Let's hope it explodes!
There is the Veline system/formula, which enables one to make, for example, aqua, lime green, tuquoise, chartreuse, etc, colours.
The Veline blue is quite washed out, but as a starter kit, it's all right. You can make a base for all colors (though the green is a bit special) and just add the desired colorant(s). It has dextrin so you can use water as a solvent, but I liked using acetone to dissolve the parlon better. I've heard that xylene is even better and doesn't produce the springy, sticky chewing gum-like texture that acetone does before it dries.
@@garycard1456 The Velines are balanced so the normally brighter colors don't overpower the blues. Kind of drab compared to things like Buell red and whatnot but great if fired alone or early in a show.
Who else noticed that he has changed the thumbnail three times to figure out which one gets the most click through rate
20:50 idk why but this song makes me feel so grateful to be alive
I've been a professional display operator for over 20 years with over 500 shows under my direction. You did a great job taking us through the story of how fireworks work and those drone shots were incredible (and brave).
Derek's team did a great job on the edit, and the high speed footage was amazing. What state do you shoot in? Always good to hear from a fellow pyro!
@@PyroInnovations KS mostly. MO license number is 32...got in early on that one lol.
@@ChrisBloom Wow, 32? Nice. Wear that like a badge of honor.
I "only" have ten years under my belt (pyro & Fireworks) and too enjoyed the drone shots.
Sorry if I'm being ignorant, but what's brave about flying a drone through fireworks?
I watch a lot of science-based, learning-based channels, but you are the only one consistently releasing fantastic quality videos at a pretty high rate, and I'm super happy about it. Keep up the good, educational work!
*Nice...*
drone work was very bad. Have to be stable image then moving.
@adverd drone sork was good
Those drone shots were absolutely amazing. By far this is one of my favorite videos to date. I love the depth most of these videos get into, and over the years so many videos have been done by others about fireworks that are cool but I feel like this went into details that I've never really seen in others. The specialist did a great job in breaking down the what, the why, and the how portion of things. I knew there is a specific way fireworks are built to get certain looks, but I've never really understood, or fully appreciate those facts. It would have been awesome to see some firework construction through all of this, but that just me being picky. This was an awesome video, and thank you for putting it all together for me to sit down and enjoy it with my daughter who is just as much of a pyro as her dad. We got the same Kiwi Co box and this made everything that much more fun.
I'm 67 and this reminded me that at age 7 I got a science kit for Christmas. The kit had different bottles of powdered metals. We used an old cast iron wood burning stove to heat our house. I would set at the stove with the small front door open and sprinkle bits of the dust into the flame and watch the different colors each type of metal would create. Thanks for the memory.
You can buy packets of powdered metals to create coloured fire still! Although… I’m pretty sure that the packets usually say to not breathe in the smoke or use them in confined spaces. …Then again, 60 years ago, I suppose the walls were full of asbestos and lead, and everyone smoked inside…
You can buy packets of powdered metals to create coloured fire still! Although… I’m pretty sure that the packets usually say to not breathe in the smoke or use them in confined spaces. …Then again, 60 years ago, I suppose the walls were full of asbestos and lead, and everyone smoked inside…
You can buy packets of powdered metals to create coloured fire still! Although… I’m pretty sure that the packets usually say to not breathe in the smoke or use them in confined spaces. …Then again, 60 years ago, I suppose the walls were full of asbestos and lead, and everyone smoked inside…
You can buy packets of powdered metals to create coloured fire still! Although… I’m pretty sure that the packets usually say to not breathe in the smoke or use them in confined spaces. …Then again, 60 years ago, I suppose the walls were full of asbestos and lead, and everyone smoked inside…
You can buy packets of powdered metals to create coloured fire still! Although… I’m pretty sure that the packets usually say to not breathe in the smoke or use them in confined spaces. …Then again, 60 years ago, I suppose the walls were full of asbestos and lead, and everyone smoked inside…
I once thought all science KZheadrs would run out of ideas one day because there aren’t audiences gathering kind of videos. Well I am 100% wrong. There are so many science to explain in every single aspect of our lives that we don’t even notice how beautiful yet subtly they existed. Keep doing your amazing work.
And now, every jackass with a drone is going to be buzzing around at fireworks shows 🙄
Smarter everyday is what you need
just never forget, while today we can apply science for consistency and safety, lots of things got found long before we had the understanding of the world we have now.
AND NOT DOING SHITPOSTS LIKE EVERY.SINGLE.RACIST.FASCIST.WHO USES A CAMERA.
@@init_yeah "nazis have been... labotimised... 😅😅😅😅😅😅"rectofen but revamped quote about smart.
Wow Gene!! That was ridiculous flying!! Those are some really great shots
He's such a pro - also had the Inspire 3 out there, and the slow mo shots from the new Freefly Ember
Thanks for that amazing footage
Fireworks ballet or even a small glimpse on how the bigbang would've looked like.
What amazing video. I fell really fortunate to be able to enjoy such a great quality production here in youtube. Congrats Veritasium for spreading science in the most engaging way possible. Hats off for your sir.
Thanks for this fantastic video. I learned more than expected, and it was nice to see how much genuine fun you guys had with this!
The fireworks footage is actually unbelievable! Imagine flying around like that in VR. One of my favorite videos you've ever made. You seem so genuinely happy in this video. 28:53 Couldn't have put it better myself.
Certainly be a great show after ingesting a few magic mushrooms.
@@ohasis8331the little sperm looking ones look like penis envy shrooms
@@ohasis8331or just acid
This is already a thing you can do in vr
off to motion sickness city!
You have an insane team to have this good of an upload schedule. Edit: Adding this to my favorites list just for the final fireworks shot. 27:56
Its amazing how grassroots the majority of people think KZhead is. Most big channels have a bigger machine behind them than the majority cooperate music music artists.
@reboooot obviously the channel isnt only derek, but its ridiculous to assume a large company founded the channel when in reality a company was founded to keep the channel running smoothly
@@reboooot Agreed, very few of us are grassroots.
Team member on his alt account
Remember when we had to wait a year between uploads 😂 someone get this team to vsauce!
Never saw Derek so excited about anything, this guy's enthusiasms rubs off! - from one science lover to the other
Recommended to me on the day of Diwali
Props to the videographer for not only capturing the amazing drone shots, but those beautifully slow motion shots on the ground!
Potatoe jet is pretty Awesomo!
Derek is more enthusiastic than usual, that's the magic of fireworks for you.
It's really amazing to see creators so passionate about their work
I love veritasium. Derek is just too good at explaining concepts. I wish every teacher was like this.
I've always wanted to know how fireworks actually work but never took the time to look it up! It's actually incredibly interesting and a whole lot less "advanced" than I assumed modern fireworks to be. Very impressive!
I loved this one. My wife and I are both rocket propulsion engineers, a socially acceptable career for the pyromaniac. Three years ago, we visited great nieces and nephews in Tennessee for the Fourth of July, and witnessed the greatest fireworks display we had ever seen (beating even the 1976 bicentennial displays) in our great nephew's field. At the end, I turned to my wife and said "We are so retiring here." Those fireworks are legal, and available year-round. Last year, we bought our Tennessee farm, and are looking forward to blowing sh*t up throughout our golden years.
Hi! Can I get your email? I am in engineering school right now, and I would love to hear more about your careers and how you got there. If not, that’s totally okay! Just thought I’d ask :)
Fireworks are fun, but not for amateurs. Veritasium hired a professional, not some schmuck from Tennessee. You're a self-confessed pyromaniac, who likes "blowing sh*t up". Good you're moving to Tennessee, home of so many violent psychopaths. Maybe you'll fit in.
Us Tennesseans love our fireworks. We have the most counties of any state to allow the use of fireworks year round. Loudon County is one of them!
Awesome.
Sounds like the dream
Probably the best educational storytelling video on KZhead currently. So well made, well paced and well, everything!
All that excess of a science video just to diss MrBeast 00:30
Amazing episode. So much investment in time and costly explosions. Fantastic collaborations and partnerships and we all learned so much. Thanks a mega tonne!
I love the constant laughs and woops of joy from you! Fireworks bring out the child in a lot of us!
As a big pyrotechnic enthusiast it really touches my heart that someone you made such an amazing video showcasing this art. Fireworks are truly amazing, I love that you are able to share it with us :)
Explosions are awesome, in the old meaning of the word, and fireworks are explosions dressed up for a party. A good fireworks display is absolutely magical.
Only Science channel that provides 30 minute videos that doesn't feel like 30 minute videos. ❤
I love hearing the crew's reactions. It adds a nice energetic enthusiasm.
I totally LOVED this video, in search of hidden science of fireworks, you made this classic cinematic piece.
With such professional and in-depth coverage, Derek is creating a Legacy with every video he makes. For generations to come...
Just imagine a student, 20 years from now, searching for a Veritasium video because his professor recommended it!
3:20 Fun fact (by some definitions of "fun"): potassium nitrate is an oxidiser not because of oxygen (it's already at -2, can't take more electrons - as opposed to the atmospheric O2 which has both atoms at zero), but because of nitrogen (it's at +5, its least stable form, and it really wants to tear electrons from stuff)
Correct 👍
😢
I love it!
Gene did an amazing job with that FPV drone. Beautiful shots 🔥🔥
Derek’s maniacal laughter when that shell malfunctiioned was priceless. Also, watching those mortars produce those vortex rings was amazing. Thanks for the excellent video on fireworks, Derek.
11:48 It took me time to find it. Please mention time frame with these type of comments. BTW ot was really priceless
@@anjummanzoor4635 legend. I saw there was 1 reply and was praying it was a timestamp.
i particularly like the way that during his experiments with black powder Derek keeps all the flammable ingredients a few inches from the burning powder train.
They're not flammable on their own
@@andymiller6474 i will agree they are not 'traditionally' flammable. but flowers of sulphur only needs about 200 degrees to light. and keeping oxidiser next to it, whilst near an ignition source is generally considered a bad idea. one would have thought a 'science communicator' would be aware of that. no?
@@KarldorisLambley Not saying you're wrong, but I don't know why you put "science communicator" in quotes like that. It's a job, and in this case quite a high-paying one.
@@KarldorisLambley Definitely seems like an overreaction
@@KarldorisLambley And i don't know about "Science communicator" as his title. I'm sure h e prefers "Ph.D Physicist"
That drone footage at the end gave me chills it was so cool
I am not gonna lie - this is so much more fascinating than I expected. Thank you for making this.
I have been a professional pyro for 15 years and I can say this was a magnificent video on the subject. The chaos we get to play with on the ground to be able to paint the sky with fire is something one can never forget. I mostly hand light the displays I am on. Just feet away from beautiful insanity.
Always good to hear from a fellow pyro! Which state?
I come from Liuyang, China, where fireworks are produced. My family has been producing fireworks for 40 years, and I have just come to the United States to engage in this industry in the future.
@@PyroInnovations Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. Great demo with the multi-colored half-shell, too. Reminded me of a photo I colored to help explain the process on Reddit a few years ago. Stay safe out there!
@@willb.383 Excellent, a small world we pyros live in. Be safe as well, and happy belated 4th of July!
@willb.383, nickname "Stumpy". Switch to drone displays while you still have 6 fingers 😉
All the work you put in to this video made it absolutely fire 🔥
Wtf, you haven't even watched the video 🙂
@@mynk_rjpthe watched it on 8x speed , obviously.
@@djinn_tseng ha ha ha so good
@@djinn_tsengI am not a he!
@@mynk_rjptsilly jokes always win
11:50 In middle school, my parents allowed my friends and I load artillery shell fireworks during 4th of July. One of my friends loaded the shell in upsidedown by accident. Instead of the THUMP sound you hear when it gets launched into the air, we heard a little PoP, and saw a foundation of sparks pouring out of the mortar. I knew right away what had happened 😮 and I yelled, "RRRRUNN!!!" We all scattered as fast as we could. When it exploded, it felt like a major league pitcher threw a handful of hot sand and rice at your back. No one got hurt, thank goodness.
Happy diwali❤🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳
Dear Derek, Dye is not lame. In fact, every color we see, from pants to paintings to planets, is just as much quantum mechanics and chemistry (or even more) than colorful fire. I would love to see a video on that in the future.
I thought about the quantum mechanical aspects of dye as well. But I do love atomic emission spectra. I will definitely think about revisiting the QM of pigments in future.
I'm glad to see someone defending the honor of dye.
Your videos are incredible, this one was insane, all from your storytelling to the footage. You explain it in an easy way that people like myself understand, and the storytelling was great, combining the exciting PFV drone journey into the mix with educational segments of the fireworks. And the Cinematography and video work was outstanding, so beautiful shots that also help tell the story. I know you wanted to be a traditional filmmaker, but this it a great unique way of storytelling that is rare to see on KZhead. Keep going, Derek. Your videos are always fun and educational 🙂
He has absolutely the best storytelling skills, Well said!
@@The.RandomTube yes, he really knows how to entertain and at the same time teach. Most teachers at school even fail at teaching. And Derek combines them, and that is why I think it is so easy to understand and learn. When we are having a fun time, it is easy to soak in the information :-)
The final shot was cool but tbh the drone guy missed the huge finale from what I can see -- 28:29 you see the school of fish but then he rotates away and when he comes back it's all over
Basically right after the school of fish you don't see any origination of detonations in the air, just incendiaries flying into the shot from detonations out of frame
@@vegardpedersen Indeed :-D
I gotta say, I'd watch fireworks shows with the pyro team instead of with the audience every time if I could. A series of escalating cannon rounds, the rapidity and the drumming, thundering sound of successive launches and booming echoes. Truly a choreography of mythic proportions, each and every time.
In 2008 I saw a Firework in Zürich Switzerland on the Lake. It made such an impression on all of us. That was the biggest Firework I ever saw. This video takes me right back to that moment. The Drone images are just stunning. And the explainer is, as always, wonderful. Thanks Derek.
10:49 Amazing! A vortex ring produced by a firework
Was looking for this comment
It surprises me how effective and mesmerizing those drone shots were given how simple the footage was itself. Not to downplay pyrotechnics nor expert level drone piloting, a black backdrop and soaring balls of fire viewed from a flying perspective seems like something that wouldn't be too difficult to render. Yet, the result feels like something special and nothing like your run of the mill CGI effects. Amazing shots, truly. Great vid! 👌🎆
Stochastic randomness in chaotic representations become exponentially harder to accurately render with complexity. In other words, every little spark has a probability of what direction it's going to go in, what kind of resistance it's going to meet, what kind of temperature differential it will encounter, all of which very subtly changes its progression. Now multiply that by millions of sparks and smoke particles interacting with ambient weather, and you start to get an idea of the raw complexity of the mechanics involved in simulating even such a "simple" rendering perspective. You have to choose a level of granularity as a limit, otherwise you could get into progressively more miniscule details until your attempts at rendering a basic scene becomes an attempt at a physics engine capable of simulating an entire universe.
@@hieronymusbutts7349 I must admit, I did bite my tongue a little on that one. I appreciate the detailed explanation! If I understand you, I imagine the difference between the drone footage and a rendering can be comparable to replicating the resolution of film digitally. The deeper you look, the more intricate it gets.
@@hieronymusbutts7349 Also, out of curiosity, when do you think CGI will be indistinguishable from our visual perception? Assuming you believe it's a possibility of course. If not, how come?
@@devonscotttaylor I think we already have CGI that can be indistinguishable from our visual perception, though it's much harder to have *animated* CGI that conforms as much. I think it's likely in our lifetimes, but the limitations will largely be: A) hardware capable of highly discrete information clusters (compare, say, a Lite-Brite to a CRT screen to an LCD) - if you can't display the information, it doesn't matter how rich the information is. And if you blow it up big enough, or get close enough to the source, you start to see those individual nodes in a way humans generally need a microscope to accomplish. B) cost effectiveness - most things just won't need that type of hyper-realistic rendering, and it'll likely always be an expensive and time consuming process to create those massive amounts of data points interacting with each other. Any physics engine take shortcuts just to reduce the raw amount of variables so it can actually compute things, otherwise you can add variables all the way down until you're trying to approximate quantum fluctuations as the basis of everything. It's one of those "assume a perfectly spherical cow with zero friction" scenarios, where just trying to calculate the dimensions of a single variable is so intensive that you have to assume absolute values outside of it to actually make the calculations work. Now make it that every variable changes in relation to every other variable, and it's hard to create a system that can even function without error, much less one that represents accurate physics and optics. tl;dr there's a lot of moving parts to synthesise a moving image and it gets more complicated and expensive the more moving parts you add to make that image more realistic. We can do it, but most applications don't need it, so we trade complexity for cost-saving and "good enough" metrics.
@@hieronymusbutts7349 Interesting. As far as I understand, quantum computers have advanced quite a bit in the last few years and are still nowhere near having the ability to operate common computing. I'm aware that replacing binary isn't the objective of developing quantum computers; however, do you think that could be the case in the next ~50 years? If so, I bet the graphics capabilities would be off the charts. Ps. just to clarify, I meant animated CGI in my previous question. Thanks for your response!
The drone video was awesome. It felt like we were witnessing the big bang or seeing mechanics on the atomic level. Thanks for a great mini documentary.
That was awesome! loved this episode and the drone footage through the fireworks was Epic!
I love how Derek is excited like a little kid when the explosions go off. That enthusiasm is partly why I'm so addicted to Veritasium.
Was looking for this comment for too long lol
Ngl, the fire work shots gave me goosebumps. I think the whole video is a testament to what educational and fun content can look like if it is done in a high quality, with lots of curiosity and fun for everyone involved. Everybody from the pyrotechnician to the drone operator was hyped about this and it shows. Well done
Ngl
"Ngl." Ugh... Ewes huck.
Such a great video. You packed so much information into this while still having a great narrative.
Thank you for this ! As a huge fireworks lover, this was pure joy for me.
7:36 that big piece just flying up
“What even is gravity, What even is physics I wanna go up so ima not go down” -chunk of burning cardboard 2023
My dad is an amateur pyrotechnician. So I grew up with this stuff. Brings back so many memories. The drone footage was absolutely spectacular. ❤
"Amateur pyrotechnician" - great euphemism for a pyromaniac... or an arsonist. 😂
Amateur, eh? How many fingers is he missing?
Isn't every dad an amateur pyrotechnician?
@@BlindsideYamkelaNot sure about today 😂
@@BlindsideYamkela They used to be. When I was a child in the 1970s most dads had probably made/stolen gun powder etc. Today it's probably less common.
Basic gunpowder, got better with the addition of water and grinding while wet. Its been 30 years since i read those historic texts, but what always puzzled me is how, after the water evaporated, they managed to get back to powder form without explosions. Gunpowder is one of my favorite historical chemistry examples. Its so basic but took so long to perfect. By the time we perfected it, new chemistries took over.
Drones that light up the sky in a choreographical way to create picture's or word's like pixels on a screen, together with firework's would bring an awesome looking show.
"Fireworks are this perfect combination of chemistry, light, and sound" That's why I hate when organizers turn on very loud music during fireworks show. It is insane.
I hate that too! I just want all the bangs!
Whaaaaaat ? I actually hate a silent firework. The best firework I ever saw was in Marseille, in France, there was a great compilation of electro music (namely Daft Punk), and the fireworks were fired in rythm with the music. It was amazing.
@@valentintourtois2618 1. fireworks are not silent, during a good firework there is almost no moments of silence at all, you just need to be close enough, and if you are not close enough then you can just watch a recording. 2. Show with combination of music and fireworks may be good, but I was talking about random songs playing during regular fireworks.
@@valentintourtois2618 Same. Going back a couple of decades but best I ever witnessed was synced to a classical orchestra playing music from Star Wars, Close Encounters, E.T and more, went on for a good time. These days, even though my home town supposedly hosts the World Championship Fireworks Competition, it's rather a dull and short-lived affair spread over several weeks.
@@mixei4 yeah it's about the quality of the whole show really. if it's timed well it's very nice but if it's just random music they might as well leave it out...
Big props to Gene for the drone piloting. I don't know how he managed to keep the thing airborne during all that but the results were epic.
This is the best FPV freestyle I've seen. This stage needs to be added to Liftoff.
You're slowly becoming my adult version of the old mythbusters when I was a kid. More explosives, please!
Adam savage is a KZheadr:)
@@NoChannelNews he mostly does builds and vlogs - still watch him though
Those drone shots were unreal! What a great video. Big kudos to Derek and the whole team. That pyrotechnician was great at explaining as well
Quantum mechanics and fireworks was the most unexpected crossover of all time. Those drone shots were epic!.
This video certainly brought back memories. I have been to the national competition of fireworks twice, where manufacturers essentially show off what they can do and have done. The effects were incredible, the colors were wonderful, and the entertainment and narration that went along with the contest, was also wonderful, but Derek you’ve added the why and how to it that makes it really impressive. Thanks.
Was that in Arizona by any chance? My grandmother told me about the show. She used to build fireworks and managed the plant at Pyrospectaculars (did big shows all over the world), where as a kid, she showed me how she built mortars, just like in this video.
No, though I lived in Phoenix, the competition took place in Fargo, ND. I’m fairly sure it moves around annually to different venues.
The end where they were showing the drones view of the fireworks was insane, quite literally looked like what one might imagine the creation of the universe looked like. That was awesome, in the truest sense of the word.
The same thing came to my mind also. It was an incredible experience.
To me, it looked like meteors showering down in the empty sky... I've never seen anything remotely as amazing as these shots were
@@omaanshkaushal3522 have you seen Starwars Andor. The meteor shower scene was so damn amazing
Same here! It made me wonder how extravagant the birth of our universe would’ve been ❤
Oh man! You literally made one of my dreams come true by flying through the fireworks. This was the best visual entertainment I have had in a very long time. Even high end VFX doesn't come close to this. Thank you so much for this awesome video.
This FPV video into the fireworks is just mad... Soooo cool!
I'm a self-proclaimed Pyro that puts on small private shows (40-50/500 gram cakes + 30-40 reloadables) and the video you have here showing part of your show is one of the best I've ever seen! Loved the upside down prospective and the rollercoaster flight pattern you used following the shots upwards were awesome!! I've seen thousands of shows which were bigger, longer, more action, etc, but for some reason this one stood out from the majority of what I've seen just by adding in the drone view! Going to have to add that to the shows I do videos of. ✌️👍
15:10 damn didn't know Derek was that shredded
The reason you are getting green and not blue with your copper test at 23:03 is because your flame was actually too hot. Copper compounds need a cooler flame to get the blue color. At 23:23, your flame is cooling down and can now turn blue. If you do your same flame spray test with a little water in your solution to cool the flame temperature down, you will get the blue color.
copper burns a patina green always has and always will.... and it burns that color due to the formation of copper oxide...
@@cptkirkpyro5656 Not quite. Copper flames will typically turn green when CuOH forms in the flame. However, copper will burn vibrantly blue if you reduce the amount of CuOH and increase the amount of CuCl/CuO. There are quite a few papers that describe this phenomenon and why copper flames can change colors depending on the circumstances.
@@pyr0duck676 Have there been separate tests first isolating the burning of CuCl, then burning the CuO? Would each be blue individually? If so, I guess we can't blame it on changing the oxidation state from Cu+1 to Cu+2.
Derek puts a lot of effort into each and every one of his videos!
the instant translations from weird-units to metric is gold! thanks for taking the time mr./ms. editor :D
These are some absolutely insane shots. This footage is clean!
This is, perhaps, the most watchable post-countryday weekend footage possible. Thank you for finally uploading a firework video that's worth watching Also, absolutely adorable ending! Science kits are amazing
Derek’s maniacal laughter when that shell malfunctiioned was priceless. Also, watching those mortars produce those vortex rings was amazing. Thanks for the excellent video on fireworks, Derek
I had the BIGGEST SMILE on my face for this WHOLE VIDEO :D TY this was utterly delightful (as well as learning so much fun stuff about how this all works!)
10:44 I have personally launch shells at many firework shows. The 6 inch shell is no joke. Mouth open, face away, massive thump to your chest like you can’t believe. You just stand around in this hell you have created. Fire and burning debris is falling everywhere, it smells of brimstone, some of the most fun I’ve ever had!!!
The absolute best part. When you’re done shooting the show you go lay on the ground next to the finale. It’s nothing but fireworks from horizon to horizon. Absolutely amazing.
I just have my own amateur hour, but I do get a friend or two to help us light 5+ mortars at once, and it is something else. But probably NOTHING compared to even a single 6-in. Tho, my dad bought a quarter stick one time, and the pole it had been set on melted and dripped down all the sides.
Thanks for sharing Chad
@@kindlinyour father is lying. But it'll blow a sign off the pole for sure. We used to do it as kids. Lots of fun. "Quarter stick" crackers are strong, but not that strong.
There's nothing quite like watching a grown man giggle with joy because he blew something up 😂 amazing video Derek! And congrats on your very visible fitness journey! Looking good!
He's like a fine wine; he just gets better with age 🤣🤣
Did you notice that perfect smoke Ring at 10:44?
I have been curious about how fireworks were made, and how it all worked, but never spent the time to learn about it. Thanks for this video. I learned a lot.
The drone through the fireworks was epic. I wonder if you realize how epic it was. That was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. No doubt you were right, Mr Beast and his firework show was outdone with that one shot! If you ever have the chance to do that again and make it a touch longer it would be great. I could’ve watched that for a while.
7:50 luckyily the shrapnel hit the cameraman, anyone else would have died of Veritasiums pipe bomb
13:42 Jesus, WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!
😂
looks like a clusterbomb LOL
That drone finale was amazing
The last clip was so incredible that I got chills in my body
OH MY GOD. It has been my dream to somehow get myself in the middle of those fireworks and just bask in the majestic lights of those fireworks. Thank you so much!!! And as a new parent, the Kiwico sponsor bit at the end is really a nice touch. :)
Oh wow! That was the coolest shot ever! Inside a fireworks display - what a unique idea and so well executed. Keep these coming!
The final shot was cool but tbh the drone guy missed the huge finale from what I can see -- 28:29 you see the school of fish but then he rotates away and when he comes back it's all over
@@gw6667 I don't blame them, it all happens in like 2 seconds, and they already have plenty of cameras on the ground looking up
@@gw6667 still very cool to have the dronento just hover while the sparks slowly die out and see a lot of embers all around like stars.
I used to enjoy watching fireworks and also lighting them up, until when I saw a whole tree burn down at my backyard on the festival evening. It was home to 3 birds and 2 squirrels, and I had literally spent hours watching them. It caught fire when one of my neighbor's fireworks hit it that day. I was heartbroken and couldn't save anyone from that event. I believe that fireworks are fine with limited use, that too in controlled environments, away from birds and animals.
That's sad. Fireworks near houses or trees is always a bad idea. My neighbors are stupid also. Sigh.
It takes a few days for the air to clear where I live, and we can get back to breathing clean-ish air. My childhood cat also was so terrified of the neighbors show it died hiding under the bed. It's shocking how everyone is so positive about a day of coordinated pollution, destruction, and terrifying all animals.
@@PowerScissor Very true
My grandmother showed me how all this works back in the 90's when I was a kid. We walked through the bunkers to gather the different materials and then she placed the premade components into the mortar. She was the manager of Pyrospectaculars for a number of years and did shows all over the world. We used to celebrate her birthday (July 3rd) at the plant, during lunch, because she was busy with last minute shipments to the local shows for the 4th.
Hi! Are you talking about Jean Starr?
@@PyroInnovations No, Barbara Garner was my grandmother. She passed about 9 years ago and I recall seeing Jim Souza and possibly some of the other Pyro family at her funeral. Her husband, my grandfather, Louie, is still alive and wears his Pyrospectaculars jacket all the time. I don't know what her official title was, but was told she was a manager and I saw and heard her direct others as they were preparing for shows. The other night, I only quickly glanced through the video and assumed Pyrotechnic Innovations was a different fireworks manufacturer, but I see you are partnered with Pyrospectaculars. It was funny seeing the electronic launch controls in the video and getting the impression that they are a recent innovation when I checked them out in the office at the plant probably 25+ years ago. Back then, it was explained that they allowed the show to be choreographed to the music. They also had some experimental indoor fireworks they set off in the office one July 3rd. It was also great to see "The Explosion Show" do an episode with Pyrospectaculars as well. I always thought is was really cool to see the technical side that went into the art of your shows. The closest I have come to working with anything like that is dealing with smokeless powder which I use for loading my own ammo with bullets from automated machines I that I built (bullet machines and the CNC plasma table I also built are on my YT channel.......I'm not a youtuber), so that I can shoot competitions. The drone shots were really cool to see and I appreciate the artistic side of the fireworks and the video captured. While I obtained a degree in photography, I never put it to much use. While I liked the artistic side, technical side of doing camera and darkroom work was probably most appealing. It was a science degree at RCC. It is too bad I was so young when my grandmother exposed me to what she did, or maybe just that I didn't get to see more of it. It left an impression on me and an appreciation for the craft and skill that goes into making shows.