yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

The Real Reason Flames Don't Have Shadows


less than 1m read
·Nov 10, 2024

Uh, why don't flames have shadows? Like, I mean, hello, it's kind of freaky. But it has everything to do with what a hydrocarbon flame is. When you look at a candle flame, the part you can see is not a gas, and it's not a plasma, believe it or not.

The part you can see is a solid. A flame is a chemical salad full of wax and oxygen molecules that are burning. Carbon dioxide and water vapor are products of the combustion, as well as hot air and unburnt solid fuel particles that are so hot they're glowing incandescently. That's where the light comes from.

But all of this stuff is not very crowded. In fact, a flame is about only a quarter as dense as the surrounding air. So, light can pass right on through. Whatever shadow is created can be easily filled in by the glow of the flame itself.

What the flame mainly does to light can be revealed by using a light that is brighter than the flame. Light travels at different speeds through media that have different densities. So, passing from the hot flame to the cooler air, we get ghostly distortions of intensity that are the only evidence that anything's there.

More Articles

View All
I'm moving back to California. I'm done.
Hey guys, so this is definitely not the video I was planning to make, and it’s certainly not a video I want to make, but I think I owe you complete transparency to tell you what happened and why I’m back in California. First of all, you probably already …
My Worst Financial Mistake (The #1 Wealth Killer)
Hey guys! So about a month ago, I took a break from the normal content to post a more personal video that wasn’t scripted, and I just spoke from the heart for over 30 minutes. To my surprise, it seems like a lot of you preferred that style of video, so I’…
Filming The Queendoms | National Geographic
My name is Aaron Rainey. I’m a wildlife camera woman, and for the past two and a half years, I’ve been filming wildlife around the globe for the series “Queens.” Every individual connects with nature in their own way, and using a camera can be a way to ex…
How I Got Arrested Working to Save Elephants | National Geographic
Imagine this: I’m in Tanzania and I am about to enter the airport in Dar es Salaam. I have a large suitcase with elephant tusks inside. I’m trying to put all the bags in together to try to mask, and the bags go through. Then he says the worst thing an air…
Gaga Tea FETISH ?? -- IMG! #33
This cat better watch out. And the only thing more badass than guns is kittens. It’s episode 33 of IMG! This is every way Mario can die on one page. And this is a Hadouken manicure. Could you grab me some peanut butter? Oh, but watch out for the honey. Sh…
Corn Dogs and Crushes: Teen Love at a Fair in the American South | Short Film Showcase
You either come here with somebody who has friends, or you come here to be exclusive, and you sit there and you show each other all. It’s all about being things. So, I’ll come right here to talk to girls. Some girls, I see a lot of pretty faces, pretty go…