Quick Microwave Q

[istewart]

Can you microwave a paper plate? Flames unnecessary.

[pshreck]

[ QUOTE ]
Can you microwave a paper plate? Flames unnecessary.

[/ QUOTE ]

IStewart, I said I wanted someone to make a fresh title game thread for the UNC Illinois tonight.

This is dissapointing.

And I think the answer is I think so.

[istewart]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Can you microwave a paper plate? Flames unnecessary.

[/ QUOTE ]

IStewart, I said I wanted someone to make a fresh title game thread for the UNC Illinois tonight.

This is dissapointing.

And I think the answer is I think so.

[/ QUOTE ]

ty /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[brassnuts]

It will burst into flames and burn your house down.

[daryn]

all a microwave does is heat water.

if there is no water in the plate, nothing will happen to it. it won't even get hot.

[brassnuts]

You shouldn't reveal secrets like this to the rest of the world.

[Lazymeatball]

[ QUOTE ]
all a microwave does is heat water.

if there is no water in the plate, nothing will happen to it. it won't even get hot.

[/ QUOTE ]

So what's the deal with microwaving metal, it sparks and stuff, but is there any real danger of blowing something up?

[pshreck]

[ QUOTE ]
all a microwave does is heat water.

if there is no water in the plate, nothing will happen to it. it won't even get hot.

[/ QUOTE ]

Im pretty sure its not that simple.

[Leo99]

Almost that simple. The microwaves will be absorbed by the easiest thing to absorb the microwaves. Usually, that's water. A plate by itself might have some moisture in it and it's not good to run the microwave with nothing to absorb the waves.

[Dead]

Sure can. I do it all the time.

Just don't microwave plastic. Use glass instead.

[daryn]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />
all a microwave does is heat water.

if there is no water in the plate, nothing will happen to it. it won't even get hot.

[/ QUOTE ]

Im pretty sure its not that simple.

[/ QUOTE ]

i'm pretty sure it is. do you happen to have a degree in physics? did you ever build microwaves? if not STFU

/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[brassnuts]

The microwaves' waves are electromagnetic waves at the correct frequency to cause water molecules to oscillate (move back and forth faster). Movement on the molecular level is also called heat. Water molecules in food start moving faster, the food gets hotter, and voila.

[pshreck]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
all a microwave does is heat water.

if there is no water in the plate, nothing will happen to it. it won't even get hot.

[/ QUOTE ]

Im pretty sure its not that simple.

[/ QUOTE ]

i'm pretty sure it is. do you happen to have a degree in physics? did you ever build microwaves? if not STFU

/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Ummm... did you watch a shitload of bill nye the science guy when you were younger? I didn't think so. Who is the more qualified one here?

[brassnuts]

Bill Nye is a chode.

[daryn]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />
all a microwave does is heat water.

if there is no water in the plate, nothing will happen to it. it won't even get hot.

[/ QUOTE ]

Im pretty sure its not that simple.

[/ QUOTE ]

i'm pretty sure it is. do you happen to have a degree in physics? did you ever build microwaves? if not STFU

/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Ummm... did you watch a shitload of bill nye the science guy when you were younger? I didn't think so. Who is the more qualified one here?

[/ QUOTE ]

you are stupid and have consistently proven so. good day sir.

[daryn]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />
The microwaves' waves are electromagnetic waves at the correct frequency to cause water molecules to oscillate (move back and forth faster). Movement on the molecular level is also called heat. Water molecules in food start moving faster, the food gets hotter, and voila.

[/ QUOTE ]

this is misleading also. the heat comes from the resulting torque on the water molecules breaking the bonds.

[brassnuts]

Oh.

[pshreck]

[ QUOTE ]

you are stupid and have consistently proven so. good day sir.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hope you realize I was kidding dude.

By the way, how is that Umass physics degree treating you so far /images/graemlins/ooo.gif?

[daryn]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />

you are stupid and have consistently proven so. good day sir.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hope you realize I was kidding dude.

By the way, how is that Umass physics degree treating you so far /images/graemlins/ooo.gif?

[/ QUOTE ]

good, i still seem to know the correct answers.

[rusty JEDI]

Some styrafoam containers especially the type you get something to go from at a restaurant like to melt in the microwave. Not sure about the water content in styrafoam, but according to Daryn its in there.

rJ

[bennyk]

[ QUOTE ]
Some styrafoam containers especially the type you get something to go from at a restaurant like to melt in the microwave. Not sure about the water content in styrafoam, but according to Daryn its in there.

rJ

[/ QUOTE ]

this is also true of some paper products, if microwaved without other things (i.e., food).

i once witnessed a balled up piece of paper burst into flames in midair after being heated for 1 minute in a microwave.

this may have been due to other circumstances. i have not since attempted to reproduce the experiment.
bk

[jason_t]

[ QUOTE ]
his is misleading also. the heat comes from the resulting torque on the water molecules breaking the bonds.

[/ QUOTE ]

And this is acheived by using a frequency that causes water molecules to resonate.

[daryn]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />
his is misleading also. the heat comes from the resulting torque on the water molecules breaking the bonds.

[/ QUOTE ]

And this is acheived by using a frequency that causes water molecules to resonate.

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah, because if you just chant VIBRATE PRETTY PLEASE it won't happen.

[brassnuts]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
his is misleading also. the heat comes from the resulting torque on the water molecules breaking the bonds.

[/ QUOTE ]
And this is acheived by using a frequency that causes water molecules to resonate.

[/ QUOTE ]

He was already replying to this

[ QUOTE ]

The microwaves' waves are electromagnetic waves at the correct frequency to cause water molecules to oscillate (move back and forth faster). Movement on the molecular level is also called heat. Water molecules in food start moving faster, the food gets hotter, and voila.

[/ QUOTE ]

You learn something new everyday. I know have a refined explanation next time someone asks me how a microwave works.

[wacki]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The microwaves' waves are electromagnetic waves at the correct frequency to cause water molecules to oscillate (move back and forth faster). Movement on the molecular level is also called heat. Water molecules in food start moving faster, the food gets hotter, and voila.

[/ QUOTE ]

this is misleading also. the heat comes from the resulting torque on the water molecules breaking the bonds.

[/ QUOTE ]

Very interesting.... Just did a google on this:

http://www.geocities.com/yummyphysics/microwave.html

How do the water molecules change electromagnetic waves into thermal energy?

Water molecules are attracted to one another due to hydrogen bonding (Van der Waals forces). This hydrogen bonding allows water molecules to 'stick' together.

Microwaves produce an electric field that oscillates back and forth. In the cooking chamber, the oscillating field applies oscillating torques (forces tending to cause rotations) on the water molecules. The molecules are rotating back and forth to align their dipole moments with the field direction. If the water molecules were paired, they would twist around the common bond to align themselves. The problem is since there is hydrogen bonding, there can be four hydrogen bondings instead of one. The molecules must break at least some of its bond to be able to rotate. To break hydrogen bonding, energy must be added. The electric field from the microwaves breaks this bond and therefore the 'free' floating water molecules may form other groups. When they do form other groups, the energy that is gained through the breaking of the bonds is released as thermal energy.

[wacki]

[ QUOTE ]
all a microwave does is heat water.

if there is no water in the plate, nothing will happen to it. it won't even get hot.

[/ QUOTE ]

Daryn is technically not correct./images/graemlins/frown.gif But for the vast majority, he is. /images/graemlins/grin.gif



http://www.talisman.org/~erlkonig/misc/microwave-metal-casting.html
http://www.gallawa.com/microtech/metal_arc.html

[daryn]

how exactly am i technically not correct?

or

how am i non-technically correct?

[wacki]

You said all water does is heat water. The articles I linked to show that it also heats metal. I'm sure you knew that that's why I included "technically". I was just being facetious, nothing more.

Your posts in this thread were very good and I learned something today.

[BOTW]

[ QUOTE ]
Can you microwave a paper plate? Flames unnecessary.

[/ QUOTE ]
I put some newspaper in for a minute and it didn't feel warm. Not enough polar molecules I suppose. If I had an old microwave I'd be interested in the results after an hour. I wonder if it would become brittle and fall apart.

Since I think flames are necessary in any experiment, you should light it on fire first (use a turntable so it will find "hot spots"). It is usually recommended that you put a cup of water in as well, but I'm not sure if this is necessary since you have no metal. Consult your owner's manual. Anyway, it is not my microwave that will be damaged if you try it, so have fun. (If you start feeling warm, it is probably time to stop.)

There are some videos (http://home.earthlink.net/~marutgers/fun/microwave/microwave.html) around of cool stuff in microwaves.