Have you ever thought about the fascinating science behind a humble candle? Although it seems simple, a candle holds secrets of chemistry, physics, and even the composition of air! Michael Faraday, one of the greatest scientists of his time, once gave a famous lecture series called The Chemical History of a Candle, where he explored how a simple flame reveals amazing scientific principles.

In this activity you will practice the scientific method by observing the candle and it's flame under different conditions. As aspiring scientists, your most important tool right now is your observational ability. This activity is primarily about honing that skill. Since you're learning the scientific method, don't worry about getting all the "right" answers! Many of the explanations for what you observe are complex and will make more sense as you master higher-level science. For now, focus on seeing, recording, and questioning. Get ready to investigate this everyday object with new eyes – there’s a lot more science hidden in a candle than you might think!

For centuries Aristotelian philosophy dominated human thought. Scientific questions were answered through reasoning and debate, rather than through experiments. For example, it was believed that heavy bodies fall faster than light ones, but we have no record from those days of an attempt to study the motion of falling bodies.

It was Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642) who changed this way of thinking. He believed that nature’s truths must be discovered by observation and testing – not by argument alone. Through simple yet brilliant experiments, Galileo laid the foundation for what we now call the Scientific Method – a systematic way of asking questions, forming hypotheses, and testing them through evidence.

In this activity, you will learn how Galileo’s curiosity and experiments helped overturn long-held beliefs and opened the door to scientific thinking.