Future of Fire: What's In Store?

[Nezrin]

I've got a project for school where we have to pick one invention/discovery and prove that it is the best invention/discovery in the history of mankind. One of the requirements is to show how it will continue to be the best discovery in the future. I've done a bit of searching and brainstorming but can't think of anything. Could someone help me out with this? An few ideas is all I need to start the gears up in my head. I'm just at a slump right now.

 

[Tom McCurdy]

The discovery of electricity

 

[Tom McCurdy]

The discovery of calculus

 

[physicsss]

Computers.

 

[Nezrin]

I've already picked my topic; Fire. But I don't have many ideas for where its oing in the future. Right now I've got soldering and welding. Not many other applications for fire in the future it seems...

 

[dave_gilmour]

Fire is used for power generation in many countries. (burning of coal, gas, etc.)

 

[Tom McCurdy]

fire can be used in chemistry for a varitey of applications... bunsen burners... You probably will be able to incorperate fire into heat then talk about the evolution from just basic fires to the future generations of heat.

 

[Eh]

Can you use the argument that without the invention of fire, none of the other great technologies would have been possible? There would be no future without fire in the first place.

If not, I don't know how to make the case, at least not in the developed world. Electricity seems to be the most important tech we have, as it has replaced many of the basics we once used fire for. Cooking, light and heat come to mind.

 

[Nezrin]

I talked with my dad and realized that without fire we couldn't do any welding or soldering. Which is going to be important in the future (soldering for computer parts and welding for pretty much everything made of metal)

Eh: I kinda touched on that but I'm not going into it much because we wouldn't have advanced to where we are now without thousands of other inventions as well (wheel,electricity,math,etc.) So I'm just showing relations between how fire makes it better (internal combustion is better than horse drawn carriage, burning stuff makes electricity)

Tom McCurdy: I though about it, but to my knowledge there's not a single bunsen burner in my school. They use hot plates so the flames won't ignite the chemicals.

dave_gilmour: Yeah, but in the future I really can't see us burning fossil fuels for electricity. I used it for current uses of fire though :)

Other than soldering and welding I can't think of many practical uses for fire in the future (way way future, I got to prove fire is the BEST discovery ever and that it will always be the best)

 

[Tom McCurdy]

soldering doesn't require fire...
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/69d3/

soldering irons heat up... but they don't have "fire"