Science Projects

Which Kind of Wood Burns Slower?

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Summary

Areas of Science

Materials Science

Difficulty

Time Required

Short (2-5 days)

Safety

Adult supervision required.

Credits

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Abstract

Do you ever go camping with your family and roast hot dogs and marshmallows over a campfire? If you want your campfire to burn long into the evening, what is the best wood to use? Do research on the necessary conditions/materials to sustain a fire and on the properties of different types of wood. Which properties do you think will be most important for determining how fast the wood burns? For example, how do you think density would be related to burning rate? Why? Measure the density and burning rate of equal-sized samples of different types of wood. For controlled burning conditions, you can either use a torch (with adult supervision) for a specified amount of time (weigh the samples before and after to determine burn rate), or place the wood samples over an evenly-spread bed of white-hot charcoal briquets (time the samples to determine burn rate). (Morgan, 2004; Johansen, 2005; Kelly, 2005)

Bibliography

Johansen, B.R., 2005. The Flame Game: Which Kind of Wood Burns Faster? California State Science Fair Project Abstract. Retrieved April 26, 2006.
Kelly, L.E., 2005. Does Density Affect a Wood's Combustion Rate? California State Science Fair Project Abstract. Retrieved April 26, 2006.
Morgan, D.W., 2004. Which Wood Burns the Longest? California State Science Fair Project Abstract. Retrieved April 26, 2006.

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Careers

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers:

Materials Scientist and Engineer

Career Profile

What makes it possible to create high-technology objects like computers and sports gear? It's the materials inside those products. Materials scientists and engineers develop materials, like metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites, that other engineers need for their designs. Materials scientists and engineers think atomically (meaning they understand things at the nanoscale level), but they design microscopically (at the level of a microscope), and their materials are used macroscopically… Read more

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General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.

MLA Style

Science Buddies Staff. "Which Kind of Wood Burns Slower?" Science Buddies, 20 Nov. 2020, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/MatlSci_p026/materials-science/which-kind-of-wood-burns-slower. Accessed 3 June 2023.

APA Style

Science Buddies Staff. (2020, November 20). Which Kind of Wood Burns Slower? Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/MatlSci_p026/materials-science/which-kind-of-wood-burns-slower

Last edit date: 2020-11-20

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