Pupils Questions Pupils questions Primary school children ask some of the most difficult, yet enlightening, questions. Every month ScienceWeb publishes the best we have had submitted by teachers for answer by real scientists.
Sand is made up of lots of tiny pieces of minerals, mostly silica or quartz.
It is formed by the breaking down and weathering of the rocks. On a seashore the sand often contains very tiny pieces of shell. When you light the wick of a candle the heat melts the wax and it creeps up the wick. As it meets the flame, wax vapor forms, mixes with oxygen in the air and burns. Salt is a mineral that is slowly washed out of the rocks by rain and the rain runs into the sea, making it taste salty.