Which candle will burn for long?



When we light the candle with a match stick, it starts to melt and vaporize  the wax near to the wick. The vaporized wax then mixes with oxygen in the air to form constant flame. So, what happens if we limit the amount of oxygen available for the candle?. To test  this and to see what happens
you will need

Materials Required:

Tea candle -4
Glass jars - 4 of varied size
Matches
paper - to write your observation
stop watch

Procedure

1. Arrange the candles with some space in between.
2. Light all 4 candles.
3. Have  4 different sized jars (marked1,2,3,4)  from smallest to largest which are ready to  cover the candles.
4. Estimate how long each candle will burn after being covered and write it down on the table.
5. Cover the candles and start the stop watch.
6. Check if your estimated and actual time match.


Candle numbers
Time Estimate
Actual Time
1
2
3
4

What is happening?

The candle's flame is fueled by the oxygen in the air.  When the jar is kept over the candle there is still oxygen inside the jar which the flame consumes. Once the oxygen is consumed the flame goes off. The larger the jar the longer it will take for the flame to go off.



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