Question

Prior Knowledge Question:
Suppose you held a lighted match to a solid hunk of wood and another match to a pile of wood shavings. Which form of wood will catch fire more easily?
• hunk of wood
O pile of wood shavings

Answer 1

The pile of wood shavings will catch fire more easily than the solid hunk of wood. This is because wood shavings have a larger surface area relative to their volume, allowing them to ignite more quickly when exposed to a flame. The increased surface area promotes faster combustion as it provides more opportunity for the wood to react with oxygen. In contrast, a solid hunk of wood has a lower surface area, which makes it harder for it to catch fire initially.