Quick definitions

Glossary

Words to know before you head outside—and a few that make the physics page easier. Tap a highlighted word on other pages to jump here.

Safety comes first

Friction fire-starting is for cleared outdoor spaces only, with a prepared adult in charge — never indoors, never alone, and never as a joke or dare.

Words in A–Z order

A friction kit where a cord-wrapped bow spins a spindle against a fireboard to concentrate heat in wood dust.

A rapid chemical reaction between fuel and oxygen that releases heat and light—the process people mean when they say something is burning.

A small, glowing particle of char that can grow into flame when given fuel and air; treat it like live heat, not a toy.

The model that lists heat, fuel, and oxygen as the three ingredients a fire needs at the same time.

The flat hearth board that holds a socket and notch so spindle dust can collect and heat in one place.

Resistance when surfaces rub; the work of rubbing turns into heat at the contact point.

A friction method that spins the spindle by rolling it between the palms—no bow, but the same physics of heat and dust.

Historically, the fire-centered part of a home or camp; today the word also describes the board used in friction kits (see fireboard).

Another name for the fireboard—the piece that stays on the ground while the spindle drills into it.

The moment or condition when fuel begins to sustain burning; often discussed together with ignition temperature.

The approximate temperature at which a fuel begins to combust reliably with oxygen; dryness and airflow change the exact value.

Small, dry sticks larger than tinder but smaller than fuel logs; they bridge a coal to a full campfire.

A chemical process where a substance loses electrons to an oxidizer; fast oxidation in air is what we see as fire.

A gas in air that combines with fuel during combustion; breaths can add oxygen to a coal when an adult says it is safe.

The straight shaft that spins against the fireboard, shaving hot dust into the notch.

The finest, driest fuel—think bird’s-nest fluff—that accepts a coal and carries it toward flame.