energy transfer or what? please explain

[MrDudeMan]

when you light a candle with another candle, what is going on? how would you describe this in terms of energy?

 

[dejitaru]

Transfer.
Energy from the first candle excites the molecules of the second candle, heats them. The wick now burns.

 

[RossGr]

The wick is saturated with wax, when you heat the wax it vaporizes, the wax vapors are what burns, once the candle is burning there is sufficient energy in the flame to maintain a moltan pool of wax that continually moves up the wick by capilary action, contiunally feeding fresh wax to be vaporized by the flame.

 

[imgod2u]

The burning of wax then heats the air molecules around it, and the system (that is, the air and the candle), attempts to reach equilibrium. The heat then dissipates from the center of heat to the surrounding, cooler areas.

 

[MrDudeMan]

i was just confused because i didnt know how you could explain this. energy cant be created or destroyed, right? well, i thought about this while lighting a candle and i was just kinda curious how this worked.


thanks for the info guys!

 

[silverpig]

The flame just needs a kick start. It's like pushing a car over the top of a hill. Once it's over the peak, it'll keep rolling by itself.

 

[CTho9305]

Originally posted by: MrDudeMan
i was just confused because i didnt know how you could explain this. energy cant be created or destroyed, right? well, i thought about this while lighting a candle and i was just kinda curious how this worked.


thanks for the info guys!

there is chemical potential energy. when the wax burns, the evergy is released and the chemicals change

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: CTho9305

Originally posted by: MrDudeMan
i was just confused because i didnt know how you could explain this. energy cant be created or destroyed, right? well, i thought about this while lighting a candle and i was just kinda curious how this worked.


thanks for the info guys!

there is chemical potential energy. when the wax burns, the evergy is released and the chemicals change

ah ok, that makes perfect sense now.


thanks for clearing it up guys. i had always wondered how this worked.