At night, the child sat in front of the TV and suddenly shouted, "Daddy, Daddy, look, so many lanterns are flying into the sky, so beautiful!" ”
It is a Kong Ming lantern, also called a sky lantern. Dad pointed to the TV and said to the child, "On the 15th day of the first lunar month, during the Lantern Festival, people will put sky lanterns to pray for blessings. This custom is practiced in many parts of the country. The child asked curiously, "Why is it called Kong Ming Lantern?" ”
There are two theories about the invention of the Kong Ming lantern. My mother stepped forward and explained, "One is that during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, there was a person named Xin Qi Niang, when she was fighting with her husband in Fujian, she used to use bamboo strips to tie into a square frame, paste paper, make headlights, and place burning pine resin on the chassis and fly into the sky." The shape of this pine resin lantern resembles the hat worn by Zhuge Liang during the Three Kingdoms period, so it is called Kong Ming lantern. "Oh, I see! The child nodded, "What about the other way of saying it?" Another version is that during the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang led his army to be besieged by Sima Yi in Pingyang. Dad took over the conversation, "In order to solve the dilemma, Zhuge Liang invented this lamp and set it up to the sky to attract the attention of Wei Jun. When the Wei army led the troops to chase the light, the Shu army was able to get out of trouble. Because of Zhuge Liang, the word Kong Ming, later generations called this lamp Kong Ming lantern. ”
Oh, it turns out that Kong Ming Lantern still has such a history! The child exclaimed, "When did it start to be used for blessings?" ”
Presumably from the Qing Dynasty. "At that time, many people in the mountains would hide in the mountains when bandits were looting. When the bandits are gone, the people who stay behind will release the Kong Ming lantern to represent safety! As a result, the Kong Ming lantern has changed from an alarm signal to a signal to report safety, and it has evolved into the current use of blessings. ”
But isn't the lantern made of paper, and it burns at all? And besides, lanterns can't just light a candle and fly into the sky, right? "There are a lot of problems with children! "Hehe, that's a good question! Dad stroked the child's head and said, "Then Dad will tell you about the method and principle of Kong Ming lantern." "Oh, tell me about it! The child urged. "First of all, the structure of the Kong Ming lantern is roughly divided into three parts: the main body, the bottom ring and the fuel. Dad explained, "The main body of the Kong Ming lantern is the lampshade, because ordinary paper is not resistant to high temperatures and is easy to ignite, so the main body of the Kong Ming lantern needs to use paper with flame retardant effect; The bracket of the base of the Kong Ming lantern is generally composed of a grate or iron wire made of bamboo; Finally, the most common fuel for Kong Ming lanterns is a small white wax block made of asbestos and wax oil. Technology meets reading
That's a good question! Dad smiled and said, "The principle of the Kong Ming lantern is the same as that of a hot air balloon. When the Kong Ming lamp is lit, the air inside the lamp will expand and a part of the gas will flow out of the lamp, so that the air density inside the lamp is less than the density of the outside air. When the density becomes smaller, the total weight of the lamp is less than the original buoyancy, so it will go up! "Oh, I see. The child suddenly realized, "At the beginning, there was cold air in the Kong Ming lantern, and it was naturally impossible to fly if it was heavier." After heating, the hot air makes the Kong Ming lantern lighter, so it flies! "Yes. The invention of the Kong Ming lantern was much earlier than the hot air balloon, and it can be said that the ancients had a lot of experience in the study of 'flying machines'! Dad laughed.