Question

To light a safety match, you have to strike it. Just leaving it in the air doesn't work. Use the ideas of activation energy and molecular collisions to explain why friction is necessary to make the match ignite. Write your answer in 1-2 sentences.

(2 points)

Answer 1

Friction between the match head and striker converts mechanical work into heat (and sparks), raising the kinetic energy of molecules so a larger fraction of collisions exceed the reaction's activation energy. Without that added energy the molecular collisions are too weak to start the exothermic combustion, so the match won't ignite.