Sick SparksZoheila RodriguezAward: Top 100
School: sleepy hollow high school The photo depicts that of a skateboard with a flint and magnesium sparkplate under the tail, grinding the asphalt and producing sparks. This displays an example of the transformation of mechanical energy due to friction, and a combustion reaction. At the bottom of the skateboard, a sparkplate is attached and as the skateboard and sparkplate grind against the pavement, the friction between the surfaces causes the molecules of the surfaces to vibrate faster. This leads to the surfaces increasing in temperature which then leads to the flow of heat away from the surfaces. This thermal energy now does work to ionize the air which then makes it a conductor. This rapid energy transformation happens so fast that bright, visible sparks are left behind as a trail. The white flash in the sparks is due to magnesium in the flint. Magnesium is very flammable and produces a bright white flash when burned. Combustion also happens as a consequence of the friction between the spark plate and ground. A combustion reaction is when oxygen reacts with another substance to create heat and light. In this case, the sparkplate reacts with the asphalt that has traces of other metals like iron in it. Because of the flint, magnesium, and asphalt, it produces the dramatic heat and light, AKA, the explosive sparks. 
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