Awards Earned: 2nd Place, 8th Life Science, PCA Science Fair 3rd Place, 8th Life Science, ACSI Regional Science Fair

Which type of wood, hardwood or softwood, will burn fastest?

Wood that is more dense will burn longer than wood that is less dense.

Hardwoods: Tupelo, Bird's Eye Maple and Red Oak.
Softwoods: White Pine, Red Cedar, Yellow Cedar.

Three hardwoods and three softwoods
Sterno Canned Cooking Fuel
Aluminum foil
Barbecue rack
Wood saw
Timer
Pliers
Triple-beam balance

1] Cut all wood into blocks of equal size and shape. Cut two blocks for each type of wood.
2] Weigh each wood block on a triple-beam balance.
3] Calculate the density of each wood block.
4] Place the can of Sterno on top of aluminum foil on an barbecue rack.
4] Place one block of wood above the can of Sterno to burn the wood block. If needed, hold the wood block with pliers.
5] Start the timer when the wood starts to burn and end the timer when the flame on the wood is extinguished.
6] Compare the burn time for each wood block to the wood block's density.
7] Repeat steps 2-6 for each block of wood.

The hardwoods, which were more dense than the softwoods, burned longer than the softwoods. The hardwoods burned 32% longer on average than the softwoods.

My hypothesis was correct because the denser, heavier hardwood samples burned longer than the less dense, lighter softwood samples. This shows that hardwoods have a tighter cell structure and denser consistency while the sofwoods have a looser cell structure and airier consistency. This is why hardwoods are used to make strong and reliable furniture and cabinets. To improve my project I would test a greater variety of wood types.

Then God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their own kind with the seed in them," and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their own kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their own kind, and God saw it was good. Genesis 1:11-12

This applies to my project because God created everything to provide for His creation including man's needs for living and housing. The reason why plants and trees are so important for human life is the people use trees for food and to build fires to keep warm. Trees are also used to make houses and to make tools.

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