- Are you feeling curious?

- Yeah!

- Today on Curious Crew.

How is that possible?

We create candles.

And find new uses for crayons.

That looks great!

Yes, we've got the whole ball of was and more in this episode of Curious Crew.

Oh, you guys look fabulous!

- [Girl] Support for Curious Crew is provided by MSU Federal Credit Union.

Offering a variety of accounts for children and teens of all ages.

While teaching lifelong saving habits.

More information is available at msufcu.org.

Also by the Consumers Energy Foundation.

Dedicated to ensuring Michigan residents have access to world-class educational resources.

More information is available at consumersenergy.com/foundation.

Consumer's Energy Foundation.

Supporting education and building sustainable communities in Michigan's hometowns.

And by viewers like you.

Thank you!

(soft alternative rock music) - Hi, I'm Rob Stevenson.

And this is - Curious Crew!

- Welcome to the show, everybody.

We always love to start with a couple of discrepant events.

Because discrepant events stimulate - Curiosity!

- That's exactly right.

And I've got some fun ones for you guys today.

You might've noticed I've got this bowl of water on the table.

And, in fact, I have a candle right in the middle of it.

And it may be hard to see, but the water level is almost up to the top of the candle.

So Rishabh, I have a wondering for you.

If I light that candle, what will happen if I just leave it burning?

- I think the wax will melt until it reaches the water level.

And then the fire will extinguish when it reaches that level.

- Awesome.

So I'm going to use another candle.

So I'm just going to slowly, carefully light this.

And then we're going to let it be for a minute.

Now, meanwhile, while that's burning, I wanted to show you this.

I've got this block of wax.

This is called paraffin wax.

And Sasha, what do you notice about this block of wax?

- I'm noticing that the top part is lighter and then the bottom part is darker.

- So we've got the top that's light and the bottom that's dark.

So I'm just going to keep my finger on that bottom part because this is the one that's darker, right?

And so what's really strange is, wait a minute.

Okay, you said this one was darker.

Okay.

Wait.

Okay.

So it's this one that's darker, right?

So now when I turn it...over.

Now, that's really strange.

Okay.

The bottom continues to be darker.

Why don't I try this?

Okay.

Now wait.

Now, the bottom is lighter and the top is darker.

Or, no, the top is lighter and the bottom is darker.

I can even try going from the side.

Now this is really unusual.

Don't you think?

That's getting strange.

All right.

I'm going to set this aside for a minute.

And I want to go back to my jar here.

My bowl for just a moment.

Now, if you look closely, that flame is actually right on top of the water level.

And as I continue to wait, that flame will start to go under the water level.

How is that possible?

This is an unusual phenomenon.

We know water is going to put flame out.

So how can this happen?

Anybody have a guess what we're going to be talking about today?

What do you think Jacob?

- Are we talking about wax?

- It absolutely does have to do with wax.

We got a wax candle here.

Our paraffin block over here.

These are some unusual phenomenon.

I'm going to ask three of you to see if you can do some scientific modeling.

To see if you can figure this out.

Using clues throughout the show.

Who would like to engage in a little scientific modeling moments?

Who would like to try this?

Okay.

Audrey, Carmela, Nash.

You three are going to work on this.

Take one more look at this candle.

It is unbelievable.

It still hasn't gone out yet.

Amazing.

Stick around.

You're going to want to understand how these phenomenal work too.

(upbeat electronic music) - Okay, guys.

Let's see if we can figure out these phenomena.

- I thought it was pretty cool how the candle was able to keep burning even though the water was basically on top of it.

Although, I was wondering if Dr.

Rob had done something to the candle?

Because it seems pretty weird that a candle was able to keep burning on fire when the water was surrounding it.

- I was thinking about the paraffin block too.

I know paraffin is a kind of wax, but why was one side always darker?

- Yeah, that was strange.

But why would it keep changing when the light was moved?

(energetic electronic music) - [Rob] Wax is an interesting substance that comes from different sources.

These include decomposed or fossilized carbon based matter from petroleum and mineral waxes.

Secretions from animals, plants, or insects.

As well as, synthetic waxes.

Which are man-made waxes from natural gas.

Whether the wax is made from crude oil, the glands from a bee, processed soybeans, or natural gas, wax has unique properties that make it really useful.

So weren't those discrepant events interesting, you guys?

- Yeah.

- Very perplexing.

So, of course, if we're going to be talking about wax, we're going to spend some time with candles today.

And I see you've already got yours lit.

And I'm going to do the same thing.

Safety first, get my goggles on here.

And we're just going to light a candle that we have stuck in a lump of clay.

Now, the first thing that I want to notice, is what happens to the candle.

Now, you two have had yours burning a little bit longer.

Sasha, what are you noticing about your candle?

- It's gotten a lot shorter.

I was like that high and now it's that high.

And also there is like liquid coming from the top of it.

- Okay.

Excellent.

And Jacob, what are you noticing as well?

- I'm noticing that the part the wax is dripping down the side from the heat.

- Okay.

Great observation.

So what we have going on here, is we've got a solid going to a liquid and then sometimes back to a solid if it drips down below and far enough away from the heat source.

Great observation.

One of the things that's really interesting about wax is we're talking about atoms of hydrogen and carbon.

And when that reacts with oxygen, it gets water vapor and carbon dioxide coming off into the air, as well as, that heat and light.

And interestingly, if you'll notice the color of the flame is kind of yellow?

That is indicative of carbon.

When carbon is present.

Now, I'm going to ask you guys to do me a favor.

You're noticing that it's wet right underneath the flame.

So I'm going to ask you to blow it out and watch it closely.

See if you can see it solidified.

So go ahead and blow out your candles.

Awesome.

Awesome.

Okay.

So we've got the candles blown out now look closely.

All of that liquid wax is starting to solidify.

You can take your goggles off now if it's a little bit easier to see.

This whole idea of wax, we have physical changes, solid to a liquid and sometimes back to a solid again.

And in fact, I started thinking about that, you guys.

And I thought, "I've got some old crayons!"

And I'm going to do something with some old crayons.

I wonder if I can get them to melt in a mold that is a soap mold.

And that's what I have right here.

This is a soap mold.

And what I did, is I took a lot of different old crayons and I melted them together.

And then I poured it into the mold.

And now I have this really interesting giant crayon block.

And the best part about this crayon block?

When I draw with it, I get all sorts of interesting colors.

So I've just written the word "stay".

Can you guess what I'm going to write next?

- Curious.

- Ha, you guys are clever!

Whack science.

It's amazing!

There's a lot of science involved in burning a wax candle.

But where does the wax go when it's burned?

To understand, we need to look at the structure of wax.

Which are long chains of fatty acids linked to alcohols or carbon atoms.

When heated by the flame, the hydrogen and carbon atoms react with the oxygen and produce water vapor and carbon dioxide as gases in the air.

As well as, give off both heat and light.

In time, all the candle wax can get burned away.

Making it seem like the candle is disappearing.

(slow robotic music) Now, to understand wax, we need to explore a couple more characteristics, you guys.

And I know that you've set up some watercolor paints.

As have I.

And I asked the two of them to draw some pictures or some sort of message on this white paper using a white crayon.

Have you guys done that?

- Yeah.

- Awesome.

Okay.

So I'm going to ask you to tip your laptops down.

And what we're going to do, is we're going to get our paint brushes wet with just a single color.

And do a little painting.

So we can get our message or pictures to reveal on the paper.

Now we have to think about what's going on here.

Well, we know we did this drawing with white crayons.

And so that white wax on white paper is really, really hard to see.

Until we cover it in paint.

Oh, nice.

That looks great!

So let's think about what's going on here.

The watercolor paints are water soluble, right?

And so we can just eliminate it with water.

Now wax on the other hand, repels the water.

And so when the water runs over it on the paper, it just runs right off the wax part and soaks in to the message.

Okay.

Audrey, let me see what you did.

What did you write?

- I wrote Curious Crew.

- Very nice.

Okay.

Rishabh.

Let's see yours.

- Mine says, "Hello, my" and then the rest of it got cut off because maybe I didn't put enough crayon.

- That's possible.

And when you're doing these messages, it's really hard because it's white on white.

But keep in mind, when you get that wax on there, the water will just roll right off.

Sometimes it's a surprise when you realize how little crayon you did get on the paper.

Okay.

Do me a favor.

Take a look at your crayon for just a second.

I want to see what are you noticing about the tip of your crayon?

Audrey, what are you noticing?

- It's kind of shiny.

- Excellent.

So that is another characteristic of wax.

And in fact, when we were drawing or our messages or drawing the pictures, were actually buffing that crayon.

Almost like polishing it.

Now that works great for like shoes or for cars.

But do you know, we actually have wax with chocolate too?

(laughing) This seems strange.

I got to show you this.

I have some regular dipping chocolate here that just goes into a microwave.

You can melt it.

And then you can dip some delicious things like pretzels and marshmallows in there.

Now you'll notice, if I look across this plate, it gets shinier when I move over to this other side.

That's usually a sign that there's wax that has been mixed in with the chocolate.

Now this does things actually.

If the candy has moisture inside, it'll hold the moisture.

If you don't want moisture to get into the candy, it'll keep the moisture out.

But at the same time, it'll polish that candy to make it look really tasty.

So the next time you see some shiny chocolate, you can imagine there's probably a little bit of edible wax in there to enjoy.

One of the properties of wax is that it is water resistant.

And another is that it gets shiny.

Especially if it's buffed.

Polishing shoes or cars takes advantage of both these properties.

Your leather shoes will have better luster.

While preventing water from damaging them.

And your car will look great after washing and waxing it.

Even beeswax that is secreted by bees to make their honeycombs is water repellent.

We use beeswax on our lips to seal in moisture so our lips don't chap.

Wax is wonderful.

(upbeat electronic music) So have you guys been having fun learning about whack science today?

- Yeah.

Awesome.

I have a really interesting STEM challenge for you guys to try.

And it's the perfect way to use up some old crayons.

So I've got some old crayons here.

And you might think yourself, "What am I going to do with old crayons?"

Well, we can actually melt them and turn them into a candle.

So you're going to need a jar or a piece of glass.

And some kind of a wick that you can use and make your own crayon candle.

You guys ready to make yours?

- Yeah.

- All right.

Put those goggles on and you can go ahead and get started.

(electronic dance music) - The first thing that was really challenging for me is that we have this little metal, soft metal piece that goes at the bottom of the glass jar that is connected to the wick.

And it was really hard for me to get it into there.

So I had to take two Popsicle sticks and just like press it into there.

I got blue and red crayons.

And I decided to mix them together to make purple.

It's like slime.

It's not quite liquid and it's not quite solid.

- I chose orange and yellow colors and I poured them in at the same time so they kind of mixed.

Oh, that's so slimey.

- Some of the crayons hardened before you could get all of it into the glass.

My mom melted the crayons in the microwave.

And the microwave overheated, so I had to slow down.

So then she put the cups in water and started boiling them.

And that melted them.

- I think my orange one's done now.

I think this candle will work because essentially what it is is wax.

And that's what any other ordinary candle is made out of.

- I'm going to have to wait longer.

- It's like hardening now, which is really cool.

- Oh, I thought it was hardened.

And then it's like a soup in the middle.

- Alrighty.

You guys ready to show us the candles?

You almost finished?

- Yeah.

- Awesome.

All right, take off your goggles for a minute.

And I'm going to ask you to carefully hold up those crayon candles so we can take a look at how they turned out.

Oh, yeah.

Those are beautiful, you guys!

So Sasha, can you turn yours over?

Is it solid?

Let's try it.

Oh, excellent!

Those look great, you guys!

You can put those down.

Now, if you want to speed up the solidification process, you can actually take that melted candle and put it right into a freezer or the refrigerator to help cool it down even faster.

And when you guys are ready, when it's all set, you can snip the top of that wick.

Just leaving yourself a little bit.

And you'll be good to go.

I've got my own little crayon candle that I've created right here.

And if you want to be doing layers, you got to wait for it to dry in between.

You can even put a little deck of cards underneath.

If you want to have angles to your different levels.

Do you guys think the kids at home should try making some crayon candles with their parents?

- Yeah!

- You should try it.

It's fun.

(fast paced electronic music) We made crayon candles.

But with an adult's help, you can make hand dipped candles out of beeswax.

Because beeswax is so thick, it takes fewer dips to make each candle.

Start by tying a hex nut to the bottom of a 20 inch long wick.

Then hold the center of the strings, so that the two wicks are a couple inches apart and dip the strings into a cylinder of melted beeswax.

Dipping your hot candles in cold water quickly cures the wax.

So you can dip into the wax, once again.

In no time, you'll have beautiful tapered candles to enjoy.

Cool!

So we've talked a lot about whack science today.

And I want to revisit an idea about molds.

And making different molds out of wax.

And you'll see, I have a lot of varieties here.

But let me tell you how I did it.

I was actually using paraffin wax and I threw in a couple of green crayons, you guys.

Green, why not?

And you'll notice I ended up with a lot of different molds that I could do with cookie cutters.

I could even do things that looked like cupcakes.

And how do you think I did this one, Carmela?

- I think you put wax in your glove and you let it sit.

- That is a very good guess.

I used a latex glove like this and I poured the wax inside.

And then I hung it outside on a basketball hoop to dry.

Which was really funny.

And then I was able to cut the glove away.

Okay.

Now take a look at this one, Nash.

Do you think this one is solid or is it hollow?

- It looks hollow to me.

- That was a really good guess.

This one actually is hollow.

Which is kind of funny.

Not like the other one that's solid.

Now when I started thinking wax and all the things we can do with it, the most common use for wax is going to be candles.

Right, you guys?

But I have a wondering for you, have you ever heard of candle tunneling?

Nash, what do you think candle tunneling is?

- It's basically when you burn a candle and a hole just goes right down the middle.

- Okay.

That does happen.

And I've got one here.

And the problem is sometimes when we light a candle, we don't let it burn long enough for the entire surface to melt.

And if that happens, we end up getting this hole that runs right down the center.

And unfortunately, every time you burn it again, that hole gets deeper and deeper and deeper.

And all the outside wax just stays solid.

It's kind of wasteful really.

But there's a way to fix it.

You guys want to learn how to do this?

This is cool.

Okay.

The way you do it is this.

You take some aluminum foil and you put it in a cone shape with a hole on the top.

And then you can light the candle that has a tunnel in it.

And you place the foil on top.

The air can still get in and out.

The heat can get in and out.

But some of that heat will start to warm up the foil and that will help the glass get warm.

Transfer some of that energy to the wax.

And you can melt some of the outer wax too.

Which is really cool.

If it doesn't melt all the way, you can actually scoop it out with a spoon.

Which is what I did here.

And guess what I'm going to do with that wax now?

What do you think, Carmela?

- Are you going to make another candle?

- You guess right!

Cause I've got some wax.

I've got a wick.

I've got a jar.

I'm going to soften this wax, put it in with the wick and I will have another wonderful, smelling candle.

Whack science.

You got to love it.

The hydrocarbon chains in wax stick together well and don't interact with water.

So both skiers and surfers have discovered different ways to use wax to make their sports more enjoyable.

Surfers wax the top of their surfboards.

So the water doesn't make the board slippery and that way they don't fall off.

Skiers wax the bottoms of their skis to repel the water.

Which makes their skis glide better in the snow when cross country skiing.

The wax will stick together, even in the water.

So there's no need to rush to apply a second coat.

Have fun!

Surfs up!

- Are you curious about careers in science?

- Hi, I'm Genesis.

And today I'm here with Chief Theresa Robinson.

Theresa, can you tell me where you are and what you do?

- I'm an assistant fire chief here in Lansing, Michigan.

Where I get to lead the day-to-day operations of a fire department.

I teach the men and women here the various aspects of their job.

- How is STEM incorporated into your job?

- I use science to figure out how to put the fire out.

We use technology in a lot of the tools we use.

Engineering in a lot of the rescues we do.

And we use math every day to figure out the pressure of water going through the hose lines and the lanky ladders and equipment that we need.

The most rewarding part of my job has to be helping people.

And that was what attracted me to the fire service.

Because when people call 911, they might be having the worst day of their life.

And something bad is happening to them.

And we get to calm and try to make that better.

- Chief Theresa Robinson really ignited my interest in firefighting.

Explore your possibilities!

- And now, back to Curious Crew.

(electronic dance music) - Okay.

So thanks to Jacob and Sasha, we now know that when melted wax is cooled down, it turns solid.

I wonder if the liquid wax surrounding the wick had solidified because of the cool water surrounding the entire candle.

And somehow made a kind of barrier that blocked the water from getting to the candle which was on fire and putting it out?

- That makes sense.

We know the wax is water repellent.

Just like in Audrey and Rishabh's watercolor investigation.

Maybe the wax is acting like a barrier and protecting the flame.

- That's possible.

Now, as for this paraffin block.

It seems like it is translucent because the light is able to pass through it.

I heard Dr.

Rob say that melted paraffin is clear.

So something must change when it becomes a solid.

- So have you guys had fun today learning about wax science?

- Yeah!

- So we've got to go back to these discrepant events because I know three of you have been working really hard to try to figure out these phenomenon.

Audrey, what have you guys figured out so far?

- Well, we know that liquid paraffin is clear.

So something must change with the wax when it is a solid.

But it is still able to pass some light through.

- Okay.

That's a really good observation.

And paraffin does share some characteristics with water.

When they're both in a liquid state, they're clear.

But when they're in the solid state, whether it's wax or whether it's ice, they crystallize.

And so what happens is light is more translucent.

Now, it can get through, but it's scattered.

So good observation.

So why would the bottom always appear darker though?

- Well, we think you may have done something to the paraffin itself to interfere with the light getting through it.

- Me?

(laughing) - Okay.

That's actually a really good guess.

In fact, I did do something to the block.

I have to let you in on a little secret.

This is made of two pieces of paraffin.

And what I did, was I sandwiched a piece of aluminum foil in between, and then I melted the sides together so it was harder to see.

Now, we know that the paraffin's translucent so light can come through.

But as soon as that light hits that opaque, aluminum foil it doesn't go much further.

And so if the light sources on the top, the bottom is darker.

And I can flip it over.

And suddenly the bottom is still darker.

If I shine from here.

Now this side is lighter.

You guys are very clever.

Okay.

So let's think about this submersible candle.

What's going on there, Carmela?

- Well, we know that when a candle changes from a solid to a liquid and back again, it changes physically due to the temperature.

And we could see that the flame was melting the wax below the wick.

And the water must've been cooling off the candle.

- Yeah, it's it seems like that the flame burns a tunnel and goes through that same tunnel, deep into the wax.

And the wax comes and surrounds the flame and cools off and solidifies from the cooled water.

Which kind of creates a thin barrier, so the flame won't go out - Great thinking, everybody.

Okay.

So we know that the heat is actually melting that wax, right?

And just like the candle tunneling that we saw, we start having this little trough that develops.

What's really hard to notice, is that thin barrier that, Nash, you're describing.

You're exactly right.

There's a tiny, thin barrier that surrounds the candle.

And that is actually holding the water back.

Now, eventually the pressure of the water is too much and it's going to knock down that thin barrier and envelop the flame.

But it is amazing that it can go that far down.

And in fact, I can even use a little paper clip and measure how far below the water surface it goes.

It's amazing.

And don't forget, we can make wax molds out of just about anything!

Oh, you guys look fabulous!

So remember my friends, - Stay curious!

- And keep experimenting!

Get your curiosity guide and see more programs at wkar.org.

- Support for Curious Crew is provided by MSU Federal Credit Union.

Offering a variety of accounts for children and teens of all ages.

While teaching lifelong saving habits.

More information is available at msufcu.org.

Also by the Consumers Energy Foundation.

Dedicated to ensuring Michigan residents have access to world-class educational resources.

More information is available at consumersenergy.com/foundation.

Consumers Energy Foundation.

Supporting education and building sustainable communities in Michigan's hometowns.

And by viewers like you.

Thank you.

- Rishabh, Rishabh come back!

Oh, Rishabh's back!

- We lost Rishabh.

Oh, there he is!

- Woo!

(laughing) - [Rob] They really look funny, guys.

- What is your flavor?

- I think it might be blueberry or cherry.

- Now your curious!

- Oh my gosh.

That's hilarious!

(soft piano music)