The Chemical History Of A Candle

This book is a companion to the EngineerGuy YouTube series of Michael Faraday's 19th century lectures on The Chemical History of a Candle. This books contains the lectures, 14 illustrations, introductory guides and seven student activities with teaching guides.

From the primitive pine-torch to the paraffin candle, how wide an interval! between them how vast a contrast! The means adopted by man to illuminate his home at night, stamp at once his position in the scale of civilisation. The fluid bitumen of the far East, blazing in rude vessels of baked earth; the Etruscan lamp, exquisite in form, yet ill adapted to its office; the whale, seal, or bear fat, filling the hut of the Esquimaux or Lap with odour rather than light; the huge wax candle on the glittering altar, the range of gas lamps in our streets,—all have their stories to tell. All, if they could speak (and, after their own manner, they can), might warm our hearts in telling, how they have ministered to man's comfort, love of home, toil, and devotion. Surely, among the millions of fire-worshippers and fire-users who have passed away in earlier ages, some have pondered over the mystery of fire; perhaps some clear minds have guessed shrewdly near the truth. Think of the time man has lived in hopeless ignorance: think that only during a period which might be spanned by the life of one man, has the truth been known. Atom by atom, link by link, has the reasoning chain been forged. Some links, too quickly and too slightly made, have given way, and been replaced by better work; but now the great phenomena are known—the outline is correctly and firmly drawn—cunning artists are filling in the rest, and the child who masters these Lectures knows more of fire than Aristotle did. The candle itself is now made to light up the dark places of nature; the blowpipe and the prism are adding to our knowledge of the earth's crust; but the torch must come first.

Chemical History of a Candle introduces a string of lectures concerning the chemistry and physics of fire held by Michael Faraday. Michael Faraday (1791 –1867) was an English scientist who contributed to the study of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. His main discoveries include the principles underlying electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism and electrolysis.

Faraday's detailed examination of the candle, its composition, and the physical nature of its flames, is published here complete with the original illustrations and explanatory tables. Although involved in developing several of the cutting-edge advances in thermodynamics in the era, Michael Faraday recognized that the essential principles of physics underpinned earlier innovations. This book outlines the three essential ingredients for fire; a supply of oxygen, a supply of fuel, and heat. The fundamental design of the candle, with its slow-melting wax and wick, is detailed. As well as being a great scientist in his own right, Faraday was recognized as a lecturer capable of explaining with clarity principles which his contemporaries struggled to present to the general population. It can be argued that Michael Faraday was among the first of the 'popular scientists' capable of presenting science in a manner interesting and stimulating: it is in this spirit that he published this book. This edition of The Chemical History of a Candle contains more than forty original, essential illustrations and tables. Many of these demonstrate and clarify the points Faraday makes, thereby offering the reader a greater degree of comprehension above and beyond Faraday's concise written explanations.

This Very Short Introduction traces the history and cultural impact of the elements on humankind, and examines why people have long sought to identify the substances around them. Looking beyond the Periodic Table, the author takes the reader on an engaging and entertaining tour: from the Greek philosophers who propounded a system with four elements - earth, air, fire, and water - to the modern-day scientists who are able to create their own.

Napoleon's Buttons is the fascinating account of seventeen groups of molecules that have greatly influenced the course of history. These molecules provided the impetus for early exploration, and made possible the voyages of discovery that ensued. The molecules resulted in grand feats of engineering and spurred advances in medicine and law; they determined what we now eat, drink, and wear. A change as small as the position of an atom can lead to enormous alterations in the properties of a substance-which, in turn, can result in great historical shifts. With lively prose and an eye for colorful and unusual details, Le Couteur and Burreson offer a novel way to understand the shaping of civilization and the workings of our contemporary world.

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