You have undoubtedly been wondering, "What would happen if I put two hard-boiled eggs in a microwave for about a minute?" Wonder no more, dear reader, as The Elkridge Hollerer is reporting the news that you need to know. If the shells are intact when the eggs go in the microwave, they won't be for long, as the eggs in question will explode with spectacular completeness. Our investigation indicates that, afterwards, you'd be hard-pressed to find a piece of egg greater than a quarter-inch across.
I can't possibly communicate how funny this is. Kerry can attest to this - or at least to how amusing I find it - as it was my guffaws that woke her on Saturday morning following an uneggspected eggsplosion in the kitchen. When you try it for yourself, I suggest detonating your eggs under a Pyrex mixing bowl; that will greatly simplify clean-up, as you can just put the bowl and the rotating microwave platter in the sink/dishwasher, versus having to wipe down every square inch of the inside of your microwave. (If any readers have knowledge of Pyrex exploding in a microwave, please let us know ASAP, 'cause that doesn't sound like much fun.)
For the scientifically-minded among you, why, do you reckon, does the egg explode? That the shell should crack as the hot interior expands makes perfect sense. But I assure you, this is much more than a crack; this is a catastrophic containment failure followed by ovid disintegration. What's going on?
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Boom
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Trav- poke a pinhole on the wide bottom of the egg that pierces the shell but does not pierce the embryonic membrane inside.
This reads like the comment of someone who thinks that, having discovered this phenomenon, I now want my hard-boiled eggs *not* to explode in the microwave. That would be such a gross misreading of my post that I refuse to countenance it. Therefore, I conclude that this is advice on how to make an egg rocket, which will race around the inside of my microwave. Thanks, William!
do the eggs need to be hardboiled or can i just try this with any old egg? can you perhaps conduct the experiment that way and let me know the results so i can try it out in some of the hostels here.
-dave
Dave - Kerry performed your proposed experiement at a friend's house when she was younger. The uncooked egg does indeed pop, but the wet nature of the residue makes cleanup a bit more difficult. Additionally, in her experiment, the egg did not explode until the microwave door was opened. While it is unknown if opening the door is necessary to detonate the egg - perhaps the cooler air causes differential contraction of the shell that over-stresses it - it certainly makes the experiment more perilous, and even more messy.
Post a Comment