Is a flame hotter on the outside?

[animaul12]

I was recently told that the temperature of a star (or flame, for that matter) is hotter outside the star than it is inside. This wascounter intuitive, since heat obviously disperses, so the hottest temperature seemed to be at the source of the heat in the center of the star. Are stars and flames really hotter on the outside/surface/distance than they are on the inside/center?

 

[berkeman]

A star and a flame are different. See the "Temperature" portion of this wikipedia.org page for the star info -- the core is the hottest, and the surface is the coolest:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star

For a flame, like a candle, the combustion process happens away from the core, and the heat of combustion propagates back into keep the flame continuously igniting:

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/209358/flame