Can You Blow Out a Candle with a Funnel? Frugal Friday.

Matches. Rulers. Can You Blow Out a Candle with a Funnel?

Candle

This one requires adult supervision, because it involves fire.

You may have read my earlier post about how I almost burned down my house when I was five after asking my Mom to light a candle for me, since I was too young to be allowed to do it myself.

This activity requires:

A large funnel
A candle
Matches
A ruler

Ask your grandchildren what they think will happen if they try to blow out the candle by blowing through the funnel.

The funnel will be in two different directions – once with the wide end toward the candle, once with the narrow end near the candle. What do they think will happen in each case?

The Experiment

Have your grandchildren measure eight inches from a candle.
Light the candle.
Ask them to blow through the narrow end of the funnel that is eight inches away from the candle.
Ask them to blow through the wide end of the funnel that is eight inches from the candle.

What happens?

Which time are they able to blow out the candle?

The Answer and the Reason

They should easily be able to blow out the candle when they have the narrow end of the funnel closer to the candle, blowing through the wide end of the funnel.

They should not easily be able to blow out the candle if they have the wide end of the funnel closest to the candle, but still eight inches away.

When you are blowing through the small end, your breath spreads out before it gets to the candle. This means not enough air is focused on the flame to blow it out.

When you are blowing through the wide end, your breath is focused narrowly at the candle.

Why Doesn’t a Megaphone Work This Way?

It’s the opposite of what happens when you yell through a megaphone. A megaphone is shaped like a funnel but has the opposite effect as blowing out a candle.

When you are talking, the sound of your voice is spread out all around you. When you use a megaphone, the sound of your voice is concentrated in the direction the megaphone is pointed.

Click here to learn more from Bill Nye, the Science Guy, who suggested this candle and funnel activity.

Click here to learn more from ehow.com about how megaphones work.

At what age were you allowed to light matches by yourself?

Does your family have a rule about when children are allowed to play with matches?

To you and exploring the wondrous world around us with your grandchildren.

Carol Covin, Granny-Guru

Click here to order my book, “Who Gets to Name Grandma? The Wisdom of Mothers and Grandmothers”

Click here to nominate my book for Best Grandparenting Book at grandparents.about.com

http://newgrandma.com

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