Almost everyone's used a click lighter to light their cooker, or their barbeque. But how do they work? Well, it involves one of Fran's favourite physical principles, and to show us she takes it apart. People, don't try this at home.
00:16 First, she has to take it apart.
00:37 Now, she has the internal workings of the lighter. Butane provides the fuel, and there are wires for a spark. But how is that spark generated?
01:17 The spark generator doesn't use a battery. Instead, the spark is generated by piezoelectricity, a property of certain crystals that create a charge when they're bent or squished. The difference in charge leads to a potential difference, which we know as a voltage.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/460053/piezoelectricity
02:28 So, in the lighter, the spark is created, it voltage is created, travels down the wires, and creates a spark.
Want to discover the secrets of more household objects? Fran Scott investigates Party Poppers here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-gnmsNyIeA
Looking for something you can try at home? Watch Jon Chase create a partial vacuum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyy8vs8sE-o
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