User talk:Happiness.is.measured.in.leonards

Flame Alchemy
You're right, pure oxygen is not flammable, however, the article did not say it was. If you'll allow me to quote the article, you'll see it's grounded in scientific reality.
 * "...Roy...[manipulates] the concentration of oxygen in the air surrounding his target, raising its density to a level at which it becomes a volatile and flammable oxidizer, and creating narrow pathways of oxygen through which he can direct the ensuing flame that blossoms from the spark."

We do not say that he uses only oxygen, we say he uses various gasses in conjunction with oxygen to do flame alchemy.

Changing the concentration of oxygen does not manipulate the flow of the flame. Mustang would have to be able to manipulate the fuels to actually move the flame to a specific target. Mustang could manipulate the flow of a flame with oxygen if he was able to stop the occurence of oxygen elsewhere, but that would suffocate both him and everyone around him if he did that. Increasing the concentration of oxygen will essentially do nothing to the combustion reaction. The atmosphere is 20% oxygen, there is more than enough for any combustion. Whatever Mustang really does, oxygen based alchemy isnt the thing behind his fires. Essentially, no flame ever "blossoms" from the spark regardless whether there is more than enough oxygen because there simply isnt enough fuel to do so. If mere sparks could create explosions, everyone who made campfires would die. Sure, Mustang may use fuel gases to create explosions, but what gases? Where did they come from? Is it oxygen based alchemy or fuel based alchemy? One a side note, you say you admit oxygen is not flammable, but the part of the article you present as evidence states that oxygen is a flammable oxidizer. Oxygen is not flammable. Oxidizers, as in the oxidizing agent in the combustion reaction, are not flammable.

I'm sorry to put it in such terms, but are you guys actually trying to find a plausible cientific explination for Flame Alchemy?? Arakawa is not a physicist and I can garantee you she's neither that minucious as to try to make her mangas "cientifically plausible" nor she actually gave all that that much thought. She loves those "non-sense" things that everybody knows is completely unreal or surreal, so, really, if you are trying to explain this in a way that it would sound "true", you're just waisting your time. Turdaewen 14:15, April 26, 2012 (UTC)

I at least expect her to understand high school level chemistry. After all, this is just high school level chemistry. Happiness.is.measured.in.leonards 00:23, April 27, 2012 (UTC)

She probably does. And even if she doesn't, I'm just saying it doesn't matter, cause the manga is not interested or even concerned with being "accurate". What is logical and accurate about an Automail, for example?? But there's nothing wrong in trying to find a 'logical way' to explain it, it's just... well... useless! But if you wanna discuss it, go right ahead. XD Turdaewen 02:07, April 27, 2012 (UTC)

Yeah, I've been part of the argument but I'm inclined to agree with Turdaewen. Why argue the validity of flame alchemy when alchemy itself doesn't work? One more point I would like to make before putting it to rest though; it's said that flame alchemy is beyond the understanding of the average alchemist, so for all we know it's Ph.D. level stuff, or higher. Plus, no alchemist explains it, Havoc does, and he's not the smartest guy so the way he think it happens could be completely different from how it actually happens. Fullmetal Fan 09:47, April 27, 2012 (UTC)