I think I’m being stupid or overthinking this, but if for example, you’re burning in a controlled manner, a bottle of propane in a burner producing a slow burning flame, and then you ignite the entire bottle causing it to explode, are these both examples of combustion? Is an explosion just really really rapid combustion? If so, where is the line drawn between these terms and how is the chemistry different? Or have I misunderstood these terms?
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Combustion means something is burning. An explosion happens when all of the solid/gel/liquid matter is instantly converted into a gas. It expands faster than the atmosphere can give way, and a shock wave results.
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