Burning Questions -- April, 2003

Teacher Hints:

  1. Remind students to use caution around the candle flame: tie long hair back, avoid leaning over the flame, watch loose clothing and be sure the candle is stable before lighting it.

  2. Consider related experiments students can perform, such as calculating the heat of combustion of candle wax or the behavior of candle flames under various conditions.

  3. A variety of Internet resources reference the science of burning candles. One website of particular interest is the Microgravity Combustion Science Home Page of the NASA Glenn Research Center, which includes a link to "Candle Flames in Microgravity."