This might be really dumb, I understand everything has it’s own melting and boiling points, like water boils at 100 degrees celcius. But water can be hotter than 100 degrees, it’ll just boil off faster.
What I don’t understand is how they have lower melting point waxes when it’s melted by the same wick as a normal candle. Its melting point is lower but can’t it still get hotter? There’s also the jet fuel can’t melt steel beams argument (not a conspiracy theoriest, just genuinely confused) so would more fuel make it hotter? Is there a limit to the heat something can produce? One match is hot but a house on fire is much hotter.
Edit – I can’t believe I got something we did in science classes at 12 years old wrong. As pointed out below (thanks all!) water does not go higher than 100 degrees Celsius. I think that’s where most of my confusion was coming from. Thank you guys for your help!
In: 7
Burning is different from melting.
When something burns, it’s undergoing a chemical reaction. Once something burns, you can’t change it back.
When something melts, it’s not a chemical reaction. It’s just a change from solid to liquid. It can go back to solid again when it’s cold. And back to liquid when it’s hot. Flip flop flip flop.
Candles are actually a very special example because the wax melts and burns at the same time!
Latest Answers