Another wood drying experiment moisture readings and weight

I took a piece of beech wood it started at a 24% moisture reading weighting 3lb 7 1/2 oz placed this split on top of my griddle running on average about 450 at 8:30 pm day 1 here are my results
9:47 pm that same night 22% 3 lbs 6 1/4 oz
10:45pm " "" "" 18 % 3 lbs 5 3/4 oz
placed under stove remainder of night
next morning
7am 17% 3 lbs 4 5/8 oz
same day under stove stove not running many hours 7:30 pm 15 % 3 lbs 4 1/2 oz
split remained under stove again on a few hours during day maybe 4-6
8 :30 pm 12 % 3lbs 2 5/8 oz

it is getting lighter as the moisture content goes down.

I've been wanting to do this but have a quick question. How are you getting the moisture readings? Here is my dilema... Take a big split and start the experiment. To get a correct moisture reading you've got to split the sucker. So now you've doubled the wood and drying area and halved the split. So then when you want to get another reading.... split again. By then your so small on splits that it isn't correct in the amount of time to dry a split because it's not really a split but kindling. Know what I mean?

What drdoct is saying is your probably only drying the outside of the wood. Next time do it with two pieces. At the end of the timeframe split one and take a reading from the inside.