Hot knife cotton experiment

A red-hot knife is applied to a package of cotton batting or cotton wool. The intense heat from the glowing knife blade causes the cotton material to immediately catch fire and burn. The cotton ignites rapidly upon contact with the heated metal, creating flames that spread through the fibrous material. The experiment demonstrates how quickly flammable materials like cotton can ignite when exposed to extreme heat, with the fire consuming portions of the cotton package while it remains partially wrapped in plastic packaging.