Scientific Question 

Does Incense That is Made From Different Plants Burn for 

the Same Amount of Time? 

History
The use of incense dates back to ancient China. A 
collector of ancient incense burners, Qian Handong, 
claims that the ancient Chinese burned incense on 
different occasions. For one popular occasion, they 
burned it during rituals to show respect to their ancestors 
and to purify the air. They also used it as medicine and in 
prayer. The ancient Chinese believed that incense ashes 
could prevent or even cure diseases. Because of this, 
they kept the incense ashes in censers, which is similar 
to an incense holder or burner. Censers date back to the 
New Stone Age, which started around 12,000 years ago. 
The shape of the censers was derived from ancient 
bronze vessels or dings, which are ancient Chinese 
cauldrons. It wasn’t until 960-1279, during the Song 
Dynasty, that censers were being used as incense 
burners.
 
What is incense?
Incense is a substance that is derived from plants. It is 
burned to produce a fragrant scent. The word actually 
comes from the Latin word for “to burn”. 

 
Why is it used today?
Similar to ancient times, incense is used for ceremony, 
but also for therapy and meditation. It can be used for 
relaxation and may even reduce stress and anxiety. 
 
Past Ingredients  
❖ The plant/resin placed directly into the burner 
❖ Others were made with sawdust paste on a bamboo 
stick 
 
Modern Ingredients  
❖ Plant-based materials 
○ Resin 
○ Bark  
○ Seeds 
○ Roots 
○ Flowers 
 
Hypothesis 
If the incense has more one than “plant” that it is made 
out of (frankincense-myrrh), then it will last longer. 
 
Variables 
Independent: Type of incense 
Dependent: How long it takes to burn 
 
 
Materials 
❖ 3 types of stick incense 
❖ Incense Holder 
❖ Lighter 
❖ Stopwatch 
 
Incense & Time 
Lavender: 54:51, 54:12 
Frankincense-Myrrh: 53:47, 54:17 
Egyptian Jasmine: 57:29, 56:53 
 
Timeline 
New Stone Age 
 
Censers were made 
 
476-221 BC  
 
Ancient Chinese believed incense ashes could 
cure/prevent diseases. 
 
960-1279 
 
Censers started to be used as incense burners 
 
 
1600s 
 
During the Shang dynasty, people believed in many gods 
and incense was used to communicate with them. 
 
Modern-day 
 
Incense is used for its scent, meditation, and in therapy. 
 
Procedure 
❖ Place and light incense in the burner 
❖ Time how long it burns for 
❖ Repeat until all 3 are done 
❖ Second trial (repeat) 
 
Conclusion 
The type of plants the incense is made from does 
affect how fast it burns, but not significantly. Yes, the 
amount of time they burned for were different, but they 
were just a few minutes apart. My hypothesis was 

 
incorrect because the jasmine incense lasted the longest 
for both trials, not frankincense-myrrh.