Eli5 How does a flame light a candle if it is touched to the smoke trail of a just blown out candle.
In: Chemistry
That is because in a candle, it is not the wick that is actually burning. The wick only absorbs the melted wax through and up its length to be burned at the tip of the wick. The “smoke” off a candle is actually the vapor and unburned particles of wax. So if you light that small wisp of “smoke” it can carry that flame back to the wax in the wick, in much the same way that you can light a trail of gasoline by holding a match *ABOVE* (and without touching) a pool gasoline
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