A change can't be both physical and chemical, but physical and chemical changes can occur simultaneously. This is what's happening with the burning candle: the wax is melting, which is a physical change, and it's combusting, which is a chemical change. A physical change is a change in state, such as melting, freezing, evaporation or condensation, or a change in form, such as grinding a substance into a powder. There's no change in the chemical formula of the substance. A chemical change is one in which a new substance is formed.The cycle of an internal combustion engine involves both a physical and chemical change. Gasoline is vaporized and the air in the cylinders is compressed, a physical change, before being ignited and combusting, a chemical change. Digestion is another example of both. Food is physically broken down by chewing and chemically broken down by digestive enzymes in the saliva and acid in the stomach.A third example is weathering in nature. Rocks are physically changed by wind, running water, expansion of ice as it freezes, abrasive wind and water-borne sediments. They are chemically changed by oxygen, acid rain and acidic compounds produced by decomposers.