system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why is charcoal used to make fire starting easier?

In my mind, dry wood lights quicker, so for example on a bbq, what does charcoal do a better job than a few sticks?
gpt
Charcoal *is* dry wood. It is wood that has been heated without oxygen (to prevent it from burning) which removes absolutely all water and decomposes parts of the wood, leaving mostly carbon residue which is much more volatile than dry wood.