Match Levitation | Science Experiment for Kids

In this Match Levitation experiment, we can see the match is getting levitating when burning. It looks like magic. Everyone will be deeply impressed by this.

Age: 5+        Time: <10mins

 Safety 

1. Be careful with the fire.
2. Adult supervision
3. Do it in the well-ventilated room in the open air.

 Materials List 

• One box of match
• Lighter

 Instruction 

Step 1/4 – Stand a match head up vertically upon the sand.

Step 2/4 – Lean a second match head bead against the first one.

Step 3/4 – Light the center of the tilting match.

                                                                                                                                                    
Step 4/4 – Wait a while, you can see that the tilting match begins to levitate.          

 Troubleshooting 

Why did mine fail to levitate?
—Make sure you light the match from the middle.

Why the tilting match falls when burning?
—You should not insert the leaning watch into the sand.

 Scientific Description 

The match is mainly made from the fiber, a kind of long polymer. When the fiber is burned, the water evaporates, causing its ends to curls upwards. Since the temperature of the match head is higher than that of the bottom when burning. Thus, the head of the match will curl faster than the bottom, the match will bend upward when we set the center of the match on fire. When the flame reaches two match heads, they are ignited at the same time, which fuses the two heads together. This fusion holds one end of the match up while the other end curls upwards, forming the illusion that it is levitating.

 Extensions 

Can you levitate two matches at the same time? Three?