Freezing point of candle wax
The Vigil
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Andrew P. Bajorinas
Is it true that only morons post anonymous test messages to no test
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The Vigil
: >Is it true that candle wax doen't freeze completely solid at absolute zero?
: Is it true that only morons post anonymous test messages to no test
: groups?
Despite what this jerk wrote, that was a serious question and not a test
message. My 10th grade chem teacher mentioned something about candle wax
being the only substance that doesn't freeze completely solid at absolute
zero, and I wanted to find out whether or not it was true.
William S. Lawson
In article <203302Z...@anon.penet.fi>, an36...@anon.penet.fi (The Vigil) writes:
|>
|> : >Is it true that candle wax doen't freeze completely solid at absolute zero?
|>
|> : Is it true that only morons post anonymous test messages to no test
|> : groups?
|>
|> Despite what this jerk wrote, that was a serious question and not a test
|> message. My 10th grade chem teacher mentioned something about candle wax
|> being the only substance that doesn't freeze completely solid at absolute
|> zero, and I wanted to find out whether or not it was true.
Wow! You had one confused chemistry teacher. There are many substances
that do not undergo a phase transition when they harden, and so cannot
be said to solidify at a particular temperature. One important class
of such substances are called glasses (bonus point: guess what one of
these substances is called). Candle wax seems to me to have a distinct
phase transition when it melts, but the process of solidification seems
to be more gradual. This is probably due to the complexity of crystal
formation in the wax. I would guess that your teacher was wrong about
this fact. I am certain he was wrong about the absolute zero bit. The
only substance having no rigidity at absolute zero is helium.
-- Bill Lawson
Tilman Hausherr
wrote:
>Is it true that candle wax doen't freeze completely solid at absolute zero?
I think yes, because candle way just gets "more and more solid", but
never crystallizes. I think that property is called "amorph". Same
property is true for normal glass.
(All from school physics courses, more than a decade ago)
Tilman
--- Tilman Hausherr
biz: <til...@sietec.de> <URL:http://www.sietec.de/> (company page)
home: <til...@berlin.snafu.de> <URL:http://www.snafu.de/~tilman/>
"If Uri Geller bends spoons with divine powers, then he's doing it the hard way"
(James Randi)
bla...@fn1.freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
wax? I know it's higher than body temperature, but is it low enough to
melt inside a car on a hot day?
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Reply by e-mail ONLY, please.
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BLAINE GORDON MANYLUK email: bla...@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
EDMONTON, AB
Lawson English
: What IS the melting point (if such an expression is meaningful) of candle
: wax? I know it's higher than body temperature, but is it low enough to
: melt inside a car on a hot day?
Define "hot day." In Tucson, we've seen up to 116 as the official
temperature and the interior of a car can easily get hot enough to kill a
dog or small child...
--
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Lawson English __ __ ____ ___ ___ ____
eng...@primenet.com /__)/__) / / / / /_ /\ / /_ /
/ / \ / / / / /__ / \/ /___ /
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Gene Miller
>bla...@fn1.freenet.edmonton.ab.ca wrote:
>: What IS the melting point (if such an expression is meaningful) of candle
>: wax? I know it's higher than body temperature, but is it low enough to
>: melt inside a car on a hot day?
>
>at body temperature. Since a car on a hot summer day can, due to the
>greenhouse effect, reach a temperature 20-30 degrees hotter than the
>outside temperature, candles can certainly soften and lose their shape,
>although I doubt that they would completely liquify. I guess it depends
>on which point you call the wax "liquid".
I rented two tapes from my local video store, and the black plastic
cassettes became soft and lost their shape while sitting in my car
one sunny day last summer. The car windows were open, but the black
cassetes were in their transluscent plastic cases which had no
ventilation holes (another application of the greenhouse effect).
The video store sent me a bill for over $200, claiming that I was
responsible for the damage. I am claiming that I was reasonably careful,
and that the video store should have warned me about not leaving
the cassettes sitting in the sun.
I would appreciate hearing from anyone who:
1. has had a similar experience
or 2. has technical expertise about the plastics used in video casettes
or 3. has technical expertise about greenhouse physics
or 4. has technical expertise about automotive ventilation.
Please email ge...@nynexst.com.
-- Gene
New York Theosophical Society
: What IS the melting point (if such an expression is meaningful) of candle
: wax? I know it's higher than body temperature, but is it low enough to
: melt inside a car on a hot day?
I am not a physicist. But I used to be a candlemaker. Different
candle waxes have different melting points. In addition, stearic acid is
usually added to candles, which increase the melting point (as well as
the vaporization point, which is equally important in candlemaking).
Candles (except "drip" candles) are usually made of more than one layer,
with greater stearic acid content on the outside than on the inside.
This is to make the melting point on the inner layers of the candle lower
than that on the outer layers, which in turn keeps the liquid wax inside
the candle rather than dripping down the outside.
Some wax DOES liquify at body temperature, and many waxes soften
at body temperature. Since a car on a hot summer day can, due to the
greenhouse effect, reach a temperature 20-30 degrees hotter than the
outside temperature, candles can certainly soften and lose their shape,
although I doubt that they would completely liquify. I guess it depends
on which point you call the wax "liquid".
Bart Lidofsky
Grant Edwards
: : What IS the melting point (if such an expression is meaningful) of candle
: : wax? I know it's higher than body temperature, but is it low enough to
: : melt inside a car on a hot day?
Most definitely.
: Define "hot day." In Tucson, we've seen up to 116 as the official
: temperature and the interior of a car can easily get hot enough to kill a
: dog or small child...
Back when I used to work for a company that manufactured cellular phones, we
got a batch of handsets that were made with the wrong type of plastic. I
saw one of them come back from the field half melted. (It haden't actually
formed a puddle, but it had sagged significantly).
--
Grant Edwards | Microsoft isn't the | Yow! My Aunt MAUREEN was a
Rosemount Inc. | answer. Microsoft | military advisor to IKE &
| is the question, and | TINA TURNER!!
gra...@rosemount.com | the answer is no. |
Grant Edwards
: I rented two tapes from my local video store, and the black plastic
: cassettes became soft and lost their shape while sitting in my car one
: sunny day last summer. The car windows were open, but the black cassetes
: were in their transluscent plastic cases which had no ventilation holes
: (another application of the greenhouse effect).
: The video store sent me a bill for over $200, claiming that I was
: responsible for the damage. I am claiming that I was reasonably careful,
: and that the video store should have warned me about not leaving the
: cassettes sitting in the sun.
: I would appreciate hearing from anyone who:
: 1. has had a similar experience
: or 2. has technical expertise about the plastics used in video casettes
: or 3. has technical expertise about greenhouse physics
: or 4. has technical expertise about automotive ventilation.
How about:
5. Feels you should pay for the cassettes you ruined.
Though $200 sounds a bit steep for two cassettes, you shouldn't have rented
them if you didn't know what to do with them. You screwed up and ruined the
tapes. Admittedly it wasn't intentional, but take responsibility for your
actions. I suppose you want the customers who _do_ know how to take care of
cassettes to pay for it?
If you don't think that $200 is a fair amount, call up another video store
and ask them how much it would cost if they ordered the two tapes for you.
Add a few bucks for the loss of revenue you caused and offer to pay up.
--
Grant Edwards | Microsoft isn't the | Yow! I have seen these EGG
Rosemount Inc. | answer. Microsoft | EXTENDERS in my
| is the question, and | Supermarket.. I have read
gra...@rosemount.com | the answer is no. | the INSTRUCTIONS...
Bill Mills
>
>I rented two tapes from my local video store, and the black plastic
>cassettes became soft and lost their shape while sitting in my car
>one sunny day last summer. The car windows were open, but the black
>cassetes were in their transluscent plastic cases which had no
>ventilation holes (another application of the greenhouse effect).
You seem to understand the physics of what went on pretty well.
>The video store sent me a bill for over $200, claiming that I was
>responsible for the damage. I am claiming that I was reasonably careful,
>and that the video store should have warned me about not leaving
>the cassettes sitting in the sun.
I don't think it unreasonable for the video store to assume, that:
Your own a VCR.
Owning a VCR, you have at some point purchased or otherwise
dealt with blank consumer video tapes.
Those tapes, as nearly all consumer video tapes included a
writen or graphic warning against exposing the tapes to
excessive heat, or direct sunlight.
Even if you had never seen any warning, you probably signed a rental
agreement, prior to renting, stating you would be responsible for damage
to the tapes.
Though $200 seems pretty excessive to me. I'd check around with them
and other video stores as to what the purchase price is for the videos
to determine proper restitution.
Again, you may be stuck here, as the rental agreement you signed may
have stipulated a dollar amount (many have a set amount based on the
fact that video tape movies used to be much more expensive than they are
today).
I think you'd have a pretty decent shot at just the actual replacement
cost, if you offered it straight away. I know if I owned a video rental
store, the extra $120 or so I'd make with the $200 fees could easilly
dissapear in the time and hastle of fighting for it.
>I would appreciate hearing from anyone who:
>
> 1. has had a similar experience
I haven't pulled this move, but I have had clients bring me heat damaged
cassettes to have the tape recovered and placed into another cassette.
Typically tapes that had been left on a car's dashboard. 3.5" floppy
disks as well.
>or 2. has technical expertise about the plastics used in video casettes
I have seen the warnings in the package.
>or 3. has technical expertise about greenhouse physics
I studied physics, but never in the garden or greenhouse.
>or 4. has technical expertise about automotive ventilation.
I take the sides off my Jeep when it is hot.
Be seeing you...
-Bill Mills
Bill_...@CSUFresno.edu
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