======Travelling Flame======


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**Alternative titles:** Relighting a Candle with Smoke, Candle Smoke Ignition
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Place a candle on a fire-safe surface.  
  - Light the candle and let it burn steadily for a short time.  
  - Blow out the candle, producing a visible stream of smoke.  
  - Immediately hold a lit match or lighter in the path of the smoke, a few centimeters above the wick.  
  - Observe the flame traveling through the smoke back to the wick, relighting the candle.



====Links==== 
Magic Traveling Flame - Relight a Candle Using Its Smoke - The Sci Guys: 
{{youtube>ccRJo5wzwxA?}}\\

Traveling Flame: a fun at-home science experiment - Science Beyond: 
{{youtube>P5QR2rPUicc?}}\\

📄 Traveling flame - Experiment Archive: [[https://www.experimentarchive.com/experiments/traveling-flame/]]\\


====Variations====
  * Test how far away the flame can be held from the wick and still relight the candle.  
  * Experiment with blowing the candle out at different angles to see how the smoke trail changes.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Keep a fire extinguisher nearby.  
  * Perform the demonstration on a fireproof surface away from flammable objects.  
  * Do not leave the lit candle unattended.  
  * Extinguish matches and lighters safely after use.




====Questions to Consider====
  * What is in the smoke that allows the flame to travel back to the wick? (Unburned, vaporized paraffin wax that can still ignite.)  
  * Why does the candle stay lit once the flame returns to the wick? (The wick draws up liquid wax, which evaporates and burns continuously.)  
  * Why does blowing on a candle put it out? (It disperses the hot vapor and flame, stopping fuel from reaching ignition temperature.)  
  * How is this demonstration an example of incomplete combustion? (Not all the wax burns when the flame is extinguished, leaving vaporized wax in the air.)