Science in a Microwave Oven
The words “science experiment” and “microwave oven” don’t necessarily go hand in hand… unless you’re trying to do something amazing. As I was preparing for my Monday morning science segment on , I remembered an experiment using a bar of Ivory Soap (you know… the soap that floats) and a microwave oven. It’s the great Soap Cloud experiment where a bar of soap grows to an enormous size when you cook it in the microwave. Actually, you get a 2 for 1 experiment here because in order to understand how the growing soap trick works, you need to know that Ivory Soap is the “soap that floats”. Hmmm, floating soap, tiny pockets of air and heat sound like the perfect combo to me!
If you have Windows Media Player, take a look at the Soap in the Microwave Video.
And remember the science experimenter’s oath: Never do things like this at home… do them at a friend’s home.
Heating water in the microwave can actually be dangerous. A man decided to have a cup of instant coffee, so he heated a cup of water in the microwave. When the timer went off, he removed the cup from the microwave and noticed that the water had not boiled. Just then, the water literally “blew up” in his face. His whole face was blistered with first and second degree burns, which left some permanent scaring and damage to his left eye. While at the hospital, the doctor attending him stated that his is a fairly common occurrence. Water (alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven. Why?
