Here's a Question! - Mass of Burning Steel Wool

Steel wool is placed in a beaker. The beaker is placed on a scale and the total mass is measured. Then, the paper is then set on fire. Once the fire burns itself out, the total mass is measured again. How will the masses compare?

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[UnderCoverMetalHead]

Wow that actually threw me a curve ball! At 38 years old your never to old to learn something new! Nice video!

[syntaxusdogmata]

I did NOT see that one coming! Nicely done! 👍

[redfern_mike]

After your burning paper video, this was an excellent followup. Keep up the educational posts :) This may have benefited with a chemistry equation

[davidmorse]

Is there no gas produced when steel goes thru the oxidation reaction? This experiment displays an interesting phenomenon that occurs when reinforcing bars rust inside hardened concrete. The resulting product, iron oxide, occupies more space than the reinforcing bar did before it began to oxidize and this causes the concrete to form cracks.

[abcpsc]

Hi, could you please also show some theoretical calculations of expected mass change?

[MathJfm]

First one of these I got wrong, glad to learn something!

[lufetm]

Well, I guessed it right but I didnt really know why, it just felt right

[PerspectiveEngineer]

So the iron absorbs some oxygen molecules and becomes iron oxide and or rust and weighs more fascinating

[so_dumbshu]

Is steel wool just made of iron or something else too?