Candle

A candle is a vertical stick of wax that burns in a controlled manner to produce light.

Although the practical production of light has largely been replaced by electric lights, candles are still commonly used in religious and romantic settings.

A candle works by melting the wax under the flame. The liquid wax is drawn up the wick by capillary action, where it is vaporized and burned by the flame, which in turn melts more wax. Because the wax must be vaporized before it will burn, the candle burns in a slow and controlled way. The size of the flame can be adjusted by trimming the wick - a smaller wick will produce a smaller flame.