The Chemical History of the Candle

Summing it all up

Contents of this webpage

• Outline of Faraday's Chemical History of the Candle, Lecture I
• Reading Notes and Vocabulary for Lecture I
• Discussion Points to Think About Before Chat
• Related Websites (Optional Reading)
• Lab for Lecture I: How different types of wax burn

This week's activity allows you to bring together everything we've learned about experiment design and reporting.

Lab

Design your own experiment. You may base the experiment on one of Faraday's demonstrations, on one of the labs we have already done, or you may follow some investigation of your own, so long as it has something to do with one of the topics we've discussed (e.g., combustion, electrolysis, or testing chemicals for composition). If you decide to redo one of our earlier labs, you should concentrate on improving the procedure or extending your analysis beyond the original lab. If you need more ideas, check the library for books on science fair experiments, or email me.

Be sure to check with the adult who is supervising your lab work. Go over your proposed procedure for safety (reread the safety procedures, if necessary!), and get permission to use any the materials you will need.

Write up your report and post it to the Candle Forum by MONDAY night. We will not do evaluations ahead of time, but we will discuss your lab and results in our classes on Tuesday, August 5 and Thursday, August 7.

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