How Does The Science of How a Candle Burns Work?

A candle burns because wax turns into gas, which then catches fire and lights up the room.

Imagine you have a candle, it’s like a little tower made of wax. When you light it with a match, the top of the wax starts to melt, just like ice cream melting on a hot day. That melted wax becomes liquid, and then it turns into gas, which is invisible.

The flame is what lights up the gas, it’s like a little firebug living at the top of the candle. The flame uses the gas to keep burning, and that's how we see light!

As the wax keeps turning into gas, the candle gets shorter and shorter, just like a cookie getting smaller when you eat it.

The wick, that string in the middle of the candle, is like a straw. It helps carry the liquid wax up to where the flame lives. The flame uses the gas, and the wick keeps bringing more wax up, so the fire never goes out.

When all the wax is used up, the flame says goodbye, just like a bedtime story ending with a soft snuff.