For Daily Use Physics

Common campfire build confirmed as best

A structure of roughly equal height and width produces hottest flames, calculations show

campfire

HOT STUFF  Heaps of firewood or charcoal that are as tall as they are wide make the hottest fires. Fires built tall or squat burn cooler, new calculations show. 

Eric Dufresne/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

By Beth Mole

- More than 2 years ago

Summer vacations are so close one can almost smell the smoke from marshmallow-toasting campfires, bonfires on the beach, and, of course, classic backyard barbecues.