Hatrack River Forum: Science Question (Or I almost set myself on fire)

This is topic Science Question (Or I almost set myself on fire) in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by Jeesh (Member # 9163) on :

You know how candle wicks sometimes curve? I was lighting a candle wick like that and the wick straightened up. Does anyone know why?

Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :

Lucy Lawless has a good explanation for this sort of thing,

"Uh, yeah, well whenever you notice something like that … a wizard did it."

Seriously though, I am not sure and I will consult my finger tip references for the answer.

Posted by TrapperKeeper (Member # 7680) on :

Heat rises, and candles primarily burn the liquid/melted wax that rises up through the wick.

Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :

Perhaps a droopy wick is like a bimetallic strip thermometer?

The side that droops has a loose weave, which supports less weight. Then, when it's lit, that side burns hotter because it gets more oxygen flow, which causes it to stand erect.

Much like hot air gets a rise out of Rush Limbaugh. Or at least, it used to.

Oh, come on. When do I ever give a completely straight answer? [Dont Know]

Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :

So many crude comments.

So little time.

Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :

What TrapperKeeper said -- heat rises, and if the wick is small enough it gets pulled up.

How did you almost set yourself on fire?

--j_k

Posted by Jeesh (Member # 9163) on :

Wearing long-sleeves while lighting mutiple candles.

Posted by mistaben (Member # 8721) on :

I can't resist.

"Heat" doesn't rise. Heat refers to a transfer of energy, at least as physicists define it. It's not an agent but a process.

If you have a roughly homogeneous volume of something (say, air), and some of it is hot and some of it is cold, THEN one can say that the hotter air will rise. This is because the hot air is less dense than the cold air, and the bouyant force due to the surrounding cold air is sufficient to push it up.

Concerning the OT, perhaps there was more re-solidified wax in the underside of the curve. When you lit the wick, the wax therein remelted, and the weight distribution reached an equilibrium.

Is the effect repeatable?

Posted by Jeesh (Member # 9163) on :

Uh, I'll check.

Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :

The answer to all fire-related questions is: Mrs. O'Leary's cow.