Why doesn't candle wax burn without a wick?

The wick is the most important part of a candle! The mechanics of a burning candle are actually quite interesting. The wax, in it's solid form, does not burn. When you bring the flame of a match near the wick, the wax directly below starts to melt due to the heat (or in some cases, the actual wick material will start to burn and then heat up the wax below). The melted liquid wax is then drawn up to the flame on the wick through capilary action. As the liquid wax is drawn up into the flame, it is heated until it vaporizes. Once it is in gaseous form, it is ignited by the flame. The combustion of the gaseous wax keeps the flame going and generates enough heat to warm up some more wax. The cycle continues as the candle wax is burned away. Nifty!