Why does a metal splint in a microwave oven?

Early in the morning, your eyes immediately turned to oat oil. When you place the dishes in the microwave, click the Start button, and sudden panic appears when the mini-fireworks are finished in your dining room. Spoon – you forget the bowl of spoon!

It may well be that these movies can lead to an electric scenario fire explosion, the truth is not to spoon a microwave oven. Why is the metal sparkled when it is exposed to one of the technologies in the mid-20th century?

To answer this question, first you need to understand how the microwave oven works. A small oven relies on the appliance called magnetron, a magnetic field flowing through the vacuum tube. This device emits electrons around it and emits electromagnetic waves of 2.5 gigahertz (or 2.5 times per second), reports Aaron Slepkov, a physicist at the Trent University in Ontario.

It depends: What are microwaves?

He believes there are certain frequencies that absorb light for each material, and that it will be 2.5 gigahertz for water. Because most of the food we eat is full of water, these dishes are powered by microwaves.

According to Slepkov, 2.5 gigahertz is not an effective frequency for heating water. That's because Rayton has discovered a microwave oven, noting that it's not too good to work with high-frequency frequencies, "he said. The water molecules on the surface of the soup-like substance absorb all the heat, so only the first few million of the inches boil and put water under the stone.

Now about this spark metal. As Slepkov explained, when the microwaves interact with metal, they turn into electrons on the surface. If the metal is flat, it does not cause any problems. Where there is an edge, for example, on the pluggers, the charges can accumulate and cause a high concentration of stress.

Slepkov said, "If it is high enough, it will eject the electron from the air molecule," Slepkov said.

The ionized particles absorb the microwave ovens much stronger than water, so when the spark comes out, many microwaves are absorbed, the molecules are ionized and sparked into a fire.

Typically, such an event can only be found in metal objects with rough edges. That's why "if you take aluminum foil and put it on a flat circle, it can spark nothing at all," Slepkov said. – But if you break it into the ball, it will fly away.

These sparks can damage the microwave oven, but any food should be well cooked later (according to Mental Floss).

Fire grapes

Metals are not the only ingredient in the microwave oven. Viruses on the Internet also featured two hundred grapes emit great sparks plasma, charged particles in the gas.

They searched for different metals, which was related to an increase in electrical charges as metal. Slepkov and his colleagues conducted scientific tests to reach the bottom of the phenomenon.

"The thing we found was much more complicated and interesting," he said.

By filling hydrogel spheres with superabsorbent polymer water used in single-use diapers, researchers have discovered that geometry is an important factor in sparking in grape-shaped objects. According to Slepkov, grape-sized spheres were just the perfect hinges for microwave ovens.

The amount of grapes caused by microwave radiation accumulation it was found in small fruits, resulting in a sufficient amount of energy to produce electrons from sodium or potassium in the vine, and sparks appeared in the plasma.

The group carried out the experimental grape with the same amount of quail eggs – first of all, natural, sardine interior and then liquid. The egg filled eggs caused hot spots, and it was not empty, and the metal required a wet, grapevine camera to imagine a bright scene.

Published originally Living Science.