Hey everybody! Welcome to Science!: For Parties where I show you a neat trick you can pull of at a party then explain the science behind it. Because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to be that guy at the party?
This week we start out with something easy. All you’ll need is a candle and a match/lighter. Simply light the candle then blow it out. When it begins to smoke take another lit match or your re-lit lighter and insert it in the smoke as if you were trying to light it. The flame will jump from the smoke back to the candle relighting it. Not the most complicated trick in the world but it works well for little kids and drunk girls. Just be careful of drafts and ceiling fans which can keep you from looking super cool.
So how does it work? Again pretty simple. Smoke is a byproduct of an inefficient burn which means it’s actually composed of particle that could burn but didn’t. Meaning contrary to our thinking smoke is not caused by flame but rather by things escaping the flame. In this case our smoke is made up of candle wax. By blowing out the candle you’ve removed heat from the equation stopping combustion. By reintroducing flame you return heat to the equation which in turn restarts combustion. Meaning the candle wax begins to burn again following a trail back to its source, the candle, and reigniting the wick.
Go ahead and try it at home (unless you are a kid, in which case go get an adult, or a drunk, in which case go get your designated driver.)
Awesome! Have Fun!