What is combustion?

What is a combustion reaction?
Burning means the same thing as combustion. When something burns, it reacts with oxygen and heat is needed to start the reaction.
The fire triangle shows the three things that are needed for burning - oxygen, heat and a fuel. If any of these things are taken away from a fire, the fire will stop.
Burning fuels releases useful heat energy. We use burning fuels to warm our homes, to make most cars move, and to produce a lot of our electricity.

This image is a graphical representation of the fire triangle, illustrating the three elements needed to ignite and sustain a fire: oxygen, heat, and fuel. The image shows how each element is necessary for combustion, and how removing any one of them can extinguish the fire. The image is commonly used in fire safety education and training.

The fire triangle

Oxidation reactions

When a substance reacts with oxygen, it is called an oxidation reaction. This makes oxides, which are compounds that have oxygen and another element. Burning is a type of oxidation reaction.

Some fuels have carbon and hydrogen in them. When they burn, they make oxides, water and carbon dioxide. Water is H2O, which means two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Carbon dioxide is CO2, which means one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. Carbon dioxide is a gas that makes the Earth warmer.

Summary:

Burning is also called combustion.
When something burns, it reacts with oxygen and releases energy.