----- Original Message ----- > From: Stephen A. Lawrence <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Cc: > Sent: Friday, July 15, 2011 5:03:11 PM > Subject: [Vo]:They say liquid water can't be hotter than boiling... > > So here's a cute experiment, done by accident while on vacation. > > Take a smooth china mug, and fill it with water. > > Stir the water, so it's swirling nicely (if you don't do this only the > surface will get hot and the experiment probably won't work). > > Put it in a microwave on high power for a minute or two. I used 2 minutes, > but > the microwave in question was probably not very high power. > > Take it out, stir it *again* so it's swirling nicely, and pop it back into > the microwave for another minute or two. > > Take it out. There may be a few bubbles, but on a good morning, it will > *not* > be boiling, not what most of us mean by boiling, anyway. > > Drop a teabag into the cup of water which isn't boiling. > > Whoa, nelly -- bubbles galore! Now it's boiling! > > Gosh, what was in the cup before I put the teabag in? I've heard you can use a microwave oven to superheat distilled water in a smooth china mug. This news to me that you can superheat ordinary water as long as the water is swirling in the mug. Harry
>
