Science Lab Report

INTRODUCTION
Egyptians originally created candles in about the year 3,000 B.C. Even so historians have found out that other early civilizations also came to use the candle by using available plant that had wax in them. One of those countries was China. For most of history, white candles have been used and made, because the ancient civilizations did not have the technology to create red, blue, purple…candles. The major thing that people should understand about colored candles is that the only thing that is added to it to make it colorful is food coloring or dye. Candles consist of wax and a wick. For this experiment the colored and non-colored candles should be the same brand, shape and size.
Have you ever been at home and lit a candle that smells so good? Don’t you hate it when it burns out fast? Or are you one of those people that hate the smell and wants the candle to burn down or else you will shut the thing off yourself? Whatever your opinion is about candles, here you will learn what type of candle you will most likely want to use more. In this experiment what is going to be tested is if white candles burn faster than non-white candles. It is believed that both candles will burn at the same rate, because the only thing that is added to non-white candles is food coloring or dye. There is no apparent reason to believe that colored candles will burn faster, because then that would mean that one candle has more or less substance than the other.
THE PROBLEM
What is the effect of white candles burned compared to non-white ones burned?

HYPOTHESIS
If white candles are the same shape and size as the non-white candles, then they will probably burn at the same rate as each other. This is believed because the only difference will be a color, and according to many resources the way to add color to candles it to melt wax completely and then add drops of dye to the candle and find a mold. Because of this, there it is known that if you have the same type of candle, the rate at which it burn will not be affected because the only thing added affects color not how fast it will burn.
VARIABLES
 The independent variable in this experiment is the non-white candle, because it is not the one typically used in most occasions. The dependant variable in this experiment is the rate that both of the candles burn, because we are to testing to see if the fact that it is colored or not affects the way that it will burn at.
 To measure how fast each of the candles burns it would most likely be most convenient to use a stop watch
 The equipment that is needed is the stop watch to measure the exact time at which is burns at and the candles
 In this experiment the control group is the white candles because as mentioned before they are not typically used. Also the Experimental group is the colored candle because they are not usually use and are the cause for this experiment.
 The variables that will be kept constant in this experiment are the brand,shape and size of the candles, the time at which the candle are lit and the stop watch is started and lastly where the candle is lit.
MATERIALS
 3 white candles
 3 non-white candles ( has to be the same brand, shape and size as the white candle for accurate results)
 1 stop watch
 Matches
 Piece of paper
 Pencil and eraser
PROCEDURE
1) First gather all of your materials
2) Then make sure that what ever base you have for when the candle is lit have something like aluminum paper for the wax. Once wax dries it will be very hard to take out.
3) Aluminum foil is not the most resisting foil in the world, but it can resist large amounts of heat for large amounts of time
4) Take out the white candle and place it on the base which you have prepared
5) Before you light the match on the candle, make sure that your hair is far away form the candle and there is nothing dangling from your hands or else it might catch on fire.
6) Also make sure that the piece of paper is not close to any of the candle that will be lit because it will most likely turn on fire
7) You should also make sure that where ever your candle is it will be safe from any water or air that might turn it off
8) Light the match and set the wick on fire
9) Be carful that the flame of the match does not bend backwards because it might burn you then
10) As you light the wick on fire try to start the stop watch at the same time, it is very important to do so because it could change the whole entire out come of the experiment
11) Make sure that while your candle is burning not to leave the room in case that it burns out and you will have no way of knowing how long took to burn
12) You have to wait until your candle is fully burnt to write down what results you have on your piece of paper or else your results will not be reliable
13) Repeat steps 1-7, 3 times for the white candle and 3 times for the colored candle
14) Three times per candle because this way you have more accurate results because you have tested it more than 2 times
15) Every time that a candle is brunt make sure that you write on the piece of paper how long it took to burn and what type of candle it is.
16) In the end you can compare the data that you have collected and see which type of candle in effect will burn faster
17) Since each type of candle was burnt 3 times then when you finish writing your results, you should make an average to see about how many minutes it total did each candle take to burn down and this will give you a good , accurate and easy to see result
VOCABULARY

Wick- Is a string that is inside of a candle and that holds it up. The wick is also the part that is set on fire in a candle.