Saturday, June 9, 2012

Does Paper Really Burn at 451 Degrees Fahrenheit?

Not quite. Bradbury?s title refers to the auto-ignition point of paper?the temperature at which it will catch fire without being exposed to an external flame. In truth, there?s no authoritative value for this. Experimental protocols differ, and the auto-ignition temperature of any solid material is a function of its composition, volume, density, and shape, as well as its time of exposure to the high temperature. Older textbooks report a range of numbers for the auto-ignition point of paper, from the high 440s to the low 450s, but more recent experiments suggest it?s about 30 degrees hotter than that. By comparison, the auto-ignition temperature of gasoline is 536 degrees, and the temperature for charcoal is 660 degrees.

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