Exploding Water Experiment Hits Home for Reader
‘Tis the season for spending time in the kitchen making those holiday feasts. So, when we were choosing a timely experiment to send in our Experiment of the Week email, we figured that Exploding Water in the Microwave was a great choice to make sure everyone had a safe and happy holiday. Our choice was affirmed when a reader took the time to let us know about the value of this experiment…
I was very interested to receive the email about water from the microwave exploding. Let me tell you my story. I make a pot of c
offee in the a.m. and then just reheat it in a mug throughout the day. I have done this for many years. Several months ago, without any thought, I went through my usual routine coffee heating, same mug, same power, same time as always. When completed, I set the mug on the counter and, as always, added a spoonful of powdered coffee creamer. The reaction was unbelievable and so fast that, initially, I could not comprehend what had happened. There was literally coffee everywhere in my kitchen and all over me. Fortunately, I was not burned. My face just felt a little warm and rosy for 24 hrs. I have included photos of the coffee “hanging” from my 8-ft kitchen ceiling. All the cupboards including those 4 ft away were covered with coffee splatters. The 10 oz mug had about 1/2 in or less of coffee left in it. Several months later, I am still finding a spot of coffee in obscure places here and there in the kitchen. So – thank you for putting out the warning. I have sent it on to many family and friends.
— Lucie from Ohio
It is really an honor when our customers let us know that what we are doing has made a difference to them. Thanks Lucie for your email and for the lesson learned!
First I saw the video, the I decided to try this experiment by myself and then I continued reading… I’m happy I didn’t try this at home.
Thanks for the warning, Lucie :o)
Science is Not Always Fun! This is really very dangerous. Lucie was very lucky there indeed to have escaped that accident. But everyone working out there in the kitchen needs to be aware of this for sure. Thanks a lot for this post and I hope that this reaches out to all. I’ll surely share this with whoever I can, online as well as offline.
That’s good to know, but I’m a little fuzzy on the whole “imperfections” thing. How do imperfections help transition from liquid to gas?
Imperfections refer to small pits, bumps, divots (some even microscopic) that appear on the surface of the container. These are perfect places for bubbles to form.