Purpose:
Does the species of wood affect the rate at which it burns and how much heat it gives off?
Hypothesis:
If the burning time and heat temperature relies on the type of wood, then oak and maple should burn the longest and give off more heat because they are dense hardwoods.
Research:
The terms hardwood and softwood refer to the density of wood, how hard it is, and how much weight it has. A dense hardwood like oak or maple has high energy content per cord, so it releases more heat and produces long-lasting embers. Hardwood is the best type of firewood for long lasting warmth and cooking but can sometimes be hard to ignite and split (http://www.firepit-and-grilling-guru.com/best-firewood.html). This is helpful information because if someone needs to know what firewood to burn for specific necessities, the best hardwood will narrow down their choices. Hardwood has some difficulties, but overall it’s a great wood to burn. Softwoods like white pine, basswood, cedar, and white spruce are much less dense. They do not burn as long and don’t have as much heat output. Softwoods also tend to be more resinous and pop more, giving off sparks and making more smoke (http://www.firepit-and-grilling-guru.com/best-firewood.html). However they are much easier to chop and also ignite much faster, and therefore can be good as a starter wood to get your fire going. Softwoods are great if you want a quick warming fire or short fire that will burn out before you go to bed.
There are three elements necessary to make a fire: oxygen, heat, and fuel. Without any one of these, the fire will not burn. When you add heat to fuel, a gas is produced. When this gas hits the oxygen in the air, it burns and fire is created (http://www.googobits.com/articles/209-how-to-build-a-fire.html). The following three materials are needed to build a fire: tinder, kindling and fuel. Tinder is a dry material which needs