DIY - Candle Fire Maggic
2 Minutes
Candle and oxygen experiment for kids: see how covering a burning candle with a glass puts out the flame. A short science lesson in English.
- Lighting a candle and covering it with a glass
- Watching the flame gradually go out inside the glass
- How a candle needs oxygen to burn and why the flame dies
What this lesson teaches
A candle flame burns by using oxygen from the air. When a burning candle is covered with a glass, its connection to the surrounding air is cut off, causing the flame to gradually die out as the trapped oxygen decreases.
The role of oxygen in burning
A candle flame burns by using the oxygen present in the air around it. This is the very same oxygen that humans breathe to live. As long as the flame has an open connection to the surrounding air, it uses that oxygen to continue burning.
Steps in the demonstration
- A candle is set down and lit until it is burning.
- A glass is placed over the lit candle to cover it.
- The glass cuts off the connection between the candle and the oxygen in the air.
- The oxygen trapped inside the glass keeps decreasing as the flame burns.
- The flame gradually dies out and goes out completely.
Why the glass puts out the flame
Covering the candle with a glass cuts off the connection between the flame and the fresh air in the room. The flame can only use the oxygen that was caught inside the glass. As that inside oxygen keeps decreasing, the flame gradually fades and eventually goes out completely.
Science behind the trick
People might watch the flame disappear and believe it is a magic trick, but it is explained entirely by science. Fire requires oxygen from the air to keep burning. Once the glass cuts off the air supply and the remaining oxygen runs out, the flame cannot survive, proving that the disappearance of the flame is simple science.