Candle
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A candle is a stick made of wax with a string straight in the middle. You can put fire on the string and it will stay there for a long time.
Fire can burn normal string very fast. But in a candle, the string does not burn fast because the fire burns the wax instead. The wax also melts, and sometimes drips down the side of the candle. When the melted wax gets away from the fire, it gets hard in the shape of a drip.
The fire on a candle is called a "flame" and it is very hot, like a real fire, even though it is very small. It can still burn people and things. If the fire from a candle gets fire on something else, the fire can grow into a very big fire and even burn down a house or building.
If you keep fire on the candle long enough, the candle will slowly get shorter and shorter until it is gone. You can stop the fire on a candle by blowing air on it from your mouth. You can also use a special metal tool called a "candle snuffer" that covers the fire with a small metal cup and makes it stop. Today, candle snuffers are usually only used in churches or in places where candles are up very high. Stopping the fire stops the candle from burning until it is all gone.
Before light bulbs, candles were used so people could see at night. Some people still use candles today when electricity is broken, or because they like the little amount of light that candles make. Some people also like candles because they look nice, or because they smell nice. A special kind of candle called "citronella" can help keep bugs away.
Candles are expensive and the amount of light that they give is small.
[edit] See also
- Lantern
- Electric Light
