help pleaseeeee
Moderators: kgudger, bfinio, MadelineB, Moderators
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ashleypeace
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2008 5:11 pm
- Occupation: student
- Project Question: how can you blow out a candle using a mouse trap from 1 meter away?
- Project Due Date: september 5th 08
- Project Status: I am just starting
help pleaseeeee
I need help finding a way to put out a candle with a mouse trap at 1 meter away from the candle
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agm
- Former Expert
- Posts: 289
- Joined: Mon May 05, 2008 10:34 am
- Occupation: graduate student
- Project Question: n/a
- Project Due Date: n/a
- Project Status: Not applicable
Re: help pleaseeeee
Hi ashleypeace,
Welcome to the forum. I think asking yourself these questions will help you get started:
1. What conditions make a candle stop burning? Basically, it will continue burning as long as oxygen, fuel (wax), and the ongoing reaction (flame) are all in contact with one another. Like many chemical reactions, the candle's combustion requires an activation energy, which is provided initially by a lighter or match and afterward from the flame itself, which is heat and light produced as a result of the combustion reaction. You can be creative about how you disrupt the conditions necessary for continued burning.
2. What kind of motion does the mousetrap produce, and how can that motion be translated into an action that will create a condition that stops the combustion reaction? For example, the part that moves could bang into something and push it, or you could attach a string or something rigid to the moving part. Since you have to get across the distance as well as converting the movement into an action that will put the candle out, you might have a 'chain reaction' involving a few different steps.
The exact solution will probably depend on what you have around your house, and you might have to try several different ideas before you find one that works reliably. Have fun with it!
Lastly, if you are allowed to consult outside sources, I found through a quick google search that your teacher is not the only one who has assigned this mini-project. So, you could also look for another solution for an idea and cite the web page as a source.
Good luck,
Amanda
Welcome to the forum. I think asking yourself these questions will help you get started:
1. What conditions make a candle stop burning? Basically, it will continue burning as long as oxygen, fuel (wax), and the ongoing reaction (flame) are all in contact with one another. Like many chemical reactions, the candle's combustion requires an activation energy, which is provided initially by a lighter or match and afterward from the flame itself, which is heat and light produced as a result of the combustion reaction. You can be creative about how you disrupt the conditions necessary for continued burning.
2. What kind of motion does the mousetrap produce, and how can that motion be translated into an action that will create a condition that stops the combustion reaction? For example, the part that moves could bang into something and push it, or you could attach a string or something rigid to the moving part. Since you have to get across the distance as well as converting the movement into an action that will put the candle out, you might have a 'chain reaction' involving a few different steps.
The exact solution will probably depend on what you have around your house, and you might have to try several different ideas before you find one that works reliably. Have fun with it!
Lastly, if you are allowed to consult outside sources, I found through a quick google search that your teacher is not the only one who has assigned this mini-project. So, you could also look for another solution for an idea and cite the web page as a source.
Good luck,
Amanda