Creating a Fireworks Display with Python: A Coding Spectacle

In the digital world, fireworks have found a new canvas: the computer screen. With the help of Python and its vast array of libraries, we can simulate the beauty and grandeur of a fireworks display right on our desktops. In this article, we’ll explore how to create a fireworks animation using Python.

Why Python for Fireworks?

Python’s simplicity and powerful libraries make it an excellent choice for creating visualizations and animations. Libraries like matplotlib and numpy provide the necessary tools to generate the complex patterns and effects that are characteristic of a fireworks display.

The Tools We’ll Use

• matplotlib: A powerful library for creating static, animated, and interactive visualizations in Python.
• numpy: A fundamental library for numerical computations in Python, which we’ll use to generate the data for our fireworks display.

Step 1: Setting Up the Environment

First, we’ll need to import the necessary libraries:

pythonimport matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import matplotlib.animation as animation
import numpy as np

Step 2: Generating Fireworks Data
To create the fireworks display, we’ll need to generate data that represents the particles or sparks emitted from the fireworks. We can use random numbers to determine the initial position, velocity, color, and size of each particle.
pythondef generate_fireworks_data(num_particles):
    # Randomly generate initial positions, velocities, colors, and sizes
    positions = np.random.rand(num_particles, 2) * [-100, 100]
    velocities = np.random.randn(num_particles, 2) * [2, 5]
    colors = np.random.rand(num_particles, 3)  # RGB colors
    sizes = np.random.uniform(5, 20, num_particles)
    
    return positions, velocities, colors, sizes

Step 3: Creating the Animation
Next, we’ll create the animation by updating the positions of the particles over time. We’ll use the FuncAnimation function from matplotlib.animation to handle the animation loop.
pythonfig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.set_xlim(-150, 150)
ax.set_ylim(-150, 150)
ax.set_aspect('equal', adjustable='box')

# Generate initial data
num_particles = 200
positions, velocities, colors, sizes = generate_fireworks_data(num_particles)

# Define the update function for the animation
def update(frame):
    global positions, velocities
    
    # Update positions based on velocities
    positions += velocities
    
    # Set the limits of the plot based on the new positions
    ax.set_xlim(positions[:, 0].min() - 50, positions[:, 0].max() + 50)
    ax.set_ylim(positions[:, 1].min() - 50, positions[:, 1].max() + 50)
    
    # Clear the plot
    ax.clear()
    
    # Plot the particles as scatter points
    sc = ax.scatter(positions[:, 0], positions[:, 1], s=sizes, c=colors, alpha=0.5)
    
    # Return the scatter plot for updating
    return sc,

# Create the animation
ani = animation.FuncAnimation(fig, update, frames=100, interval=20, blit=True)

# Display the animation
plt.show()

Step 4: Enhancing the Display
You can enhance the display by adding more particles, adjusting the colors and sizes, or introducing gravity and air resistance to make the particles fall more realistically.
Conclusion
Creating a fireworks display with Python is a fun and challenging task that combines the power of programming and visualization. By using libraries like matplotlib and numpy, we can generate complex patterns and animations that mimic the beauty of real-world fireworks. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced coder, this project is sure to inspire your creativity and expand your coding horizons.