https://youtube.com/shorts/93F-5aeZRl8?si=yyxoqC7_RMg2ofqE
Water rising into a glass covering candle
Scientific Principle:Gay Lussac’s Law
Tools:Candles, Beaker or Large Glass, Shallow Dish or Casserole Dish, Butane Lighter,Water
How to work:First fill our shallow dish with two or three centimeters of water. The next step in our experiment is to take your candle and place it in the center of the water and light it with a butane lighter. For the final step take your beaker or a large glass and place it over top of the candle. After a little while of having our beaker over the candle you'll notice the candle flame will get smaller and smaller until it is extinguished. If you watch closely you'll see that the water level underneath our beaker begins to rise as the candle fades away. The water level will continue to rise for a short time after the candle has been fully extinguished. You'll notice that the water underneath the beaker is much higher than the water in the shallow dish.
Explanation:Gay Lussac’s Law states that the temperature and pressure of an ideal gas are directly proportional, as long as its mass and volume remain constant. This means that as the temperature increases the pressure increases and vice versa.
In our experiment, the beaker contains gaseous air molecules. The energy from the flames is transferred to these air molecules, exciting them and raising their temperature. As the air molecules become more excited, they attempt to spread further apart. However, since the beaker does not expand like a balloon, the volume of space available for the air molecules is limited. Consequently, the air molecules exert increasing pressure against the beaker’s walls and the water at its base.
This rise in air pressure within the beaker causes the water level underneath it to be lower than the water level outside. The higher the temperature or energy of the air molecules, the greater the pressure created under the beaker. As the candle flames burn, they consume some of the oxygen in the beaker for combustion. The resulting products are carbon dioxide gas and water vapor. With more hot carbon dioxide gases and water vapor produced, they accumulate at the top of the beaker, displacing the oxygen needed for the candles to burn.
Once the flame is extinguished, the air molecules under the beaker cool down, losing their excitement and lowering the temperature. Consequently, the pressure exerted by the air molecules against the beaker’s sides and the water at its base decreases. To achieve equilibrium, the air under the beaker pulls on the sides and the water, causing the water level inside the beaker to rise and equalize the pressure.
Greek team