Magic Travelling Flame
Relighting a candle using its smoke as a flame looks like magic but it’s real science. You may think it’s impossible but we are going to show you a simple trick that will surprise anyone who sees it. You can relight a candle without touching the flame to the wick; only the smoke needs to be touched by the flame. It may seem absurd too you, but it really works and it’s easy, too.
Material:
- Candle
- Lighter
- Candle Stand
Let’s do it:
The trick has a little bit of science behind it. When a wick is lit, the flame vaporizes the candle wax and turns it into heat and light. As soon as you blow it out, the trail of smoke released by the blazing wick still contains a bit of wax that hasn’t fully burned. When you hold a fire source up to the smoke, they can reignite and flow back down to relight the candle.
How does it work?
The smoke from a candle is a very complex material. It actually contains a substance called ‘soot’ which is a black material composed mostly of carbon that comes from burning organic items. In fact, the yellow flame you see on a candle is comprised mainly of burning soot. However, what you don’t see is the blue flame surrounding it in which the temperature can be around 2,500°F (1400°C).
Another component of the smoke from a candle is unburned wax vapour. This is the material that causes candle wax to appear white or grey. For a few seconds, its temperature is high enough that it will combust (burn) with the touch of a flame. It rises, because it is hot, so you will have to move above the wick to light it. The smoke trail is very straight when the air is still and you can touch the flame to any part of the trail that’s connected to the wick. The wax vapour reignites and the blue flame travels along it to the wick where the candle burning process starts all over.
-Team ScienceNow
