Blowing out a candle

Light a candle and drip a few drops of molten wax onto a can lid. Attach the candle to the lid while the wax is liquid and blow out the candle. 

BLOW OUT THE CANDLE, THEN QUICKLY BRING A LIGHTED MATCH INTO THE VAPORS. CANDLE IS AGAIN IGNITED. 

Light a candle and let some wax drip onto the bottom of a glass that is taller than the candle. Blow out the candle and stick the candle to the glass before the wax solidifies. 

After a few minutes, blow out the candles (What do they notice on blowing out the candles ). 

Observations may include a blue colour at the base of the flame, transparent regions, a yellow flame towards the top, a red-tipped wick, a pool of melted wax, heat and light, vaporised wax when blowing out the candle. 

Mai gave Margaret and me each a cup, blew out the candle, and got back into bed with her own. The cups were wooden and no more than warm in the hand, but the ale was almost too hot to sip and rather than cool it by blowing I breathed in the fumes of honey and herbs and spice. 

Suppose I take this piece of wood, and put it into a bottle with lime-water. I might shake that lime-water up with wood and the atmosphere as long as I pleased, it would still remain clear as you see it but suppose I burn the piece of wood in the air of that bottle. You, of course, know I get water.. Do I get carbonic acid [The experiment was performed.] There it is, you see—that is to say, the carbonate lime, which results from carbonic acid, and that carbonic acid must be formed from the carbon which comes from the wood, from the candle, or any other thing. Indeed, you have yourselves frequently tried a very pretty experiment, by which you may see the carbon in wood. If you take a piece of wood, and partly burn it, and then blow it out, you have carbon left. There are things that do not shew carbon in this way. A candle does not shew it, but it... 

There is another condition which you must learn as regards the candle, without which you would not be able fully to understand the philosophy of it, and that is the vaporous condition of the fuel. In order that you may understand that, let me shew you a very pretty, but very common-place experiment. If you blow a candle out cleverly, you will see the vapour rise from it. You have, I know, often smelt the vapour of a blown-out candle-and a very bad smell it is but if you blow it out cleverly, you will be able to see pretty well the vapour into which this solid matter is transformed. I will blow out one of these candles in such a way as not to disturb the air around it, by the continuing action of my breath and now, if I hold a lighted taper two or three inches from the wick, you will observe a train of fire going through the air till it reaches the candle. I am obliged to be quick and ready, because, if I allow the vapour time to cool, it becomes condensed into a liquid or solid, or the stream of combustible matter gets disturbed. 

During the Gulf War, teams with little experience were hired from all over the world to cope with an unprecedented number of fires. A great many new techniques were tried, and much new field experience gained. One team hit on the use of a mounted jet engine (as opposed to dynamite or water) to literally blow out the fire at the wellhead, as if it were a candle on a birthday cake. 

Light a second candle and hold the flame about 2 cm to 4 cm to the side of the first candle flame. Gently blow out the first candle flame, then quickly move the flame of the second candle into the smoke from the ffrst flame. Record your observations. 

Place the candle on a burn-resistant surface, such as a lab table. Carefully strike a match and light the candle. Use a stopwatch or a clock with a second hand to measure the time. Allow the candle to burn for 5 min. Then, blow out the flame. Record your observations. 

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