ABSTRACT
The burning candle has long been a fascination of both scientists and non-scientists and formed the topic of Michael Faraday's seminal lectures, which later would become known as the ‘Christmas Lectures'. The solid wax begins to melt as energy is transferred to the wax from the flame by radiation and through the wick by conduction. As the wax melts, liquid wax gets drawn up through the wick by capillary action, just as water is soaked up by a kitchen towel. Whilst positive emotions can promote interest and confidence when learning science, positive moods are not without their problems. When we feel positive and comfortable, we can take shortcuts, perhaps driving with only one hand on the steering wheel, marking a piece of work without the mark scheme or just watching a candle burn and drifting off. David Palmer from the University of Newcastle in Australia has produced a helpful model to think about motivation in science classrooms.
