Fireworks
A celebration of energy
Consumer fireworks are limited to 50 mg of explosive material, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association.
For a quick and rough comparison, assuming that the explosive material is gunpowder, then a consumer firework holds about 150 joules of energy. Gunpowder releases about 3 megajoules per kilogram. This is behind TNT at 4.7 megajoules per kilogram and far behind gasoline’s 10.4 megajoules per kilogram. We can make a direct comparison between what you’re buying in fireworks, TNT, and gas by converting all of those into 50 mg.
Fireworks are a spectacle found across cultures and throughout history. The Chinese are credited with inventing gunpowder. Even before that, the first firecrackers were simply bamboo stalks that cracked when thrown into a fire. Air pockets heated and popped the bamboo.
Fireworks became a symbol of “triumph and recreation”, as a 1635 book on making fireworks lists the motivations for them.
Fireworks illustrate how humans have always found ways to harness energy for amusement, not just survival. They are a testament to our curiosity and creativity, a reminder that energy use is a cause and a consequence of wealth.
Enjoy the fireworks for the 4th of July and the spirit of innovation they embody.
Josh. It would be great if you could add one more bar to your chart for the energy output of electricity. I guess it is more difficult to put electricity in the 50 mg category. But I suspect that electricity is more efficient (more energy output) per 50mg of coal for coal fired electricity than fireworks, TNT, and gasoline. Among other valuable byproducts of this comparison, this would help me quell an argument in my neighborhood. My cul-de-sac has 14 single family houses with a total of 10 EVs (7 Teslas, 2 Rivians, 1 Ioniq). One of the Tesla owners was complaining about the practice of neighborhood firework displays on the 4th of July. Maybe he/she might calm down if he saw that fireworks pack the smallest punch compared to TNT, gasoline, and the energy source of the majority of cars on my street : )