Combustion Affects The Burning Rate Of Candle Experiment

Combustion is a chemical reaction between substances, according to www.scienceterms.com, "[Combustions processes] usually including oxygen and usually accompanied by the generation of heat and light in the form of flame. The rate or speed at which the reactants combine is high, in part because of the nature of the chemical reaction itself and in part because more energy is generated than can escape into the surrounding medium, with the result that the temperature of the reactants is raised to accelerate the reaction even more." (Web) As a result, it will take more time to reach this ideal temperature so energy can escape if a candle has a lower initial temperature. A familiar example is a lighted match. When a match is struck, friction heats the head to a temperature at which the chemicals react and generate more heat than can escape into the air, and they burn with a flame. Understanding how a candle works is very important in this experiment because knowing these things will help the reader know what is going on and why it is happening. …show more content…
According to www.chemmom.com, "Typically, a room temperature candle will burn faster than a frozen candle. A rate of burn is determined by the wick effect." What is the wick effect? The wick effect refers to the time it takes for the wax to defrost so the wick can consume that area. The flame heats the wax beneath the wick, pulling the wax upwards along the wick to provide fuel. The heat evaporates at the top of the flame. Wax that is frozen takes more energy to heat and melt, thus slowing the rate at which the wax is