Often this experiment is misinterpreted. An experiment done in elementary school boggles many. When the candle is put under the vase, the air heats up and expands. Bubbles form under glass and the air escapes. When the flame goes out because there isn’t oxygen for it to burn, the air located under the glass (carbon dioxide) cools and contracts. This creates a vacuum. The vacuum sucks in the water on the plate in order to reach equilibrium. What it actually does is as gases exerting pressure from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure, the water is sucked in. This principle is similar to that of diffusion or that of osmosis in which particles move from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. This has been used for centuries and is even used in medicine in the procedure called “cupping”. It is when a flame is put under a cup filled with alcohol is burned. When the flame is extinguished, the cup is placed on the skin. The vacuum created sucks in soft …show more content…
As the candle heats up the air, the temperature increases. Therefore the volume decreases creating a vacuum that “sucks” up the water. Since twice as much oxygen is burned than the carbon dioxide is being released, the air volume decreases as a result, allowing a liquid to flow in until the air volume lost is replaced. When the candle is thicker or the candle burns for a longer period of time changes, said variables cause a difference in the level of the liquid rising and how much the liquid rises. If the candle burns for longer, the air around the candle will be hotter, therefore the volume of the air will decrease. When the glass is placed above, a vacuum is created, so the hotter the air around it means that more water will rise in order to replace more volume “lost” as a result of the candle burning for