Amazing physics experiment with the burning paper

Amazing things keep happening in Open Door's lab! Here is another interesting Physics experiment from Open Door's Wow series of videos.

We tried burning two papers in our lab: the first one glued to wood and the second one glued to a copper plate. Once we placed them over fire, it did not surprise us when the paper attached to the wood burned within 10 seconds. But, we became curious when the paper attached to the copper plate didn't burned even after a minute. The paper was supposed to burn, immediately. Isn't it?

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We were left wondering how could the paper not burn from the heat of the flame. What do you think could be the reason behind it? (Take a pause and think).

The basic physics behind this amazing experiment is the concept thermal conductivity.
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Wood, not being a good conductor of heat, doesn't absorb any heat. Paper absorbs the heat and immediately reaches its ignition temperature. While in the case of the copper plate, all the heat that is given to the paper is immediately absorbed by the metal. Metal being a good conductor does not allow the paper to reach its ignition temperature and burn.
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Such is the effect of a good conductor of heat. Watch the full video here from Open Door's lab:

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What is Open Door's WOW Series?

Math and Science are filled with wonders. At Open Door, we asked ourselves: How do we bring out the Wow! factor in these concepts? This search for Wow led to the start of a new initiative - Open Door's Wow series! This is a series of content videos for Math and Science enthusiasts.

OD WOW Series aims at bringing the wonders behind concepts into limelight and to use the power of appreciation to enrich the learning. It is a series of videos on Math and Science concepts with simple setup hands-on experiments designed and conducted by OPEN DOOR Team. You can access all the videos, every fortnight on Open Door YouTube Channel.

We proudly announce the LAUNCH!

Happy WONDERING!

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