WARNING: Microwaving Water is DANGEROUS

it's happened to me before with a cup of milk, i took it out and put a spoon in it and the milk blew up everywhere :) it happens
 
it's happened to me before with a cup of milk, i took it out and put a spoon in it and the milk blew up everywhere :) it happens
 
We made plasma in my science class back in highschool. using a graphite stick with tin foil i think i forgot how it was held up but we put it in there with i think a beaker over it... Needless to say we got to see the plasma state of matter and it got so hot it actually melted the glass plate in the microwave. We actually got to repeat 2-5x before the microwave was destroyed. Usually, he said they get destroyed after 1x.

Sorry for all the "I think"s It was a while ago so my memory isn't that great.
 
I recommend reading Horrible science books, they're freakin great.
 
its called Super Heating - heating of a liquid to a temperature above its normal boiling point. The superheated state is unstable, and it can very rapidly turn into liquid at the boiling point, plus a substantial quantity of vapor.

When does it happen?
  1. Using a container with a very smooth surface, such as an unscratched glass or glazed container.
  2. Heating for too long.
  3. Quickly adding a powder, such as instant coffee (or sometimes even an object to stir it).
  4. Standing with one's face above the container makes injury more likely.

superheating1.gif

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AokmVO4rrRI
 
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