is which brand of candles burn the fastest a science fair question?

Question

its for an eighth grade science fair topic..and umm we need to measure soething..is that the time when the candles stop burning?

Answer 1

No because it's comparing brands, which is not a scientific thing.
There are too many variables- and why is it important to know? Will it change people's candle buying habits? Is that science?

Here's one my kid did- does water stay hot longer in a foam cup, ceramic, glass or wax paper cup? She put the same amount of water at the same temperature into all these cups and measured how long the temperature stayed constant with thermometers. The result surprised us, and there was a twist...:) The answer impacted the types of vessels people use for safety, convenience and practicality. The most practical product may not be the safest.

Here's a good one- some kid went to fast food restaurants and took samples of the water in their toilets AND from glasses of ice water she ordered with her meal. She cultured the water. Turns out the ice buckets get contaminated really easily and don't get cleaned often, so the ice water cultures had way more bacteria (and seriusly bad bacteria) than the toilets, which got cleaned at least once a day. Now THAT is a science project. And she made the national news. It made the restaurants sit up and look at how they protect their products so that people who use them do not get ill. THAT is science.

You need a goal at the end- not just a comparison between two things. THINK- you can come up with an idea that is different. And even if it is not right, you proved something that is not good- and that is a discovery as well.

Good luck!

Answer 2

You could use the burn rate of candles, but brands would need to be switched to material. Beeswax, parafin, soy, etc. You would also need to make sure each candle was using the same material for a wick and was the same diameter for an accurate experiment.