Microwave Plasmoids [was: Re: Micropayments, misc.]

[Riad S. Wahby]

Jim Choate <ravage at einstein.ssz.com> wrote:
> You take a toothpick and place it on a holder. Light it. Place a large
> glass bowl (a fishbowl is acceptable) over the burning toothpick with
> something holding the bowl off the floor of the microwave (so the
> toothpick stays lit). Crank up the microwave on high for about 10 seconds.
> Walah.

There are variations on this that are quite interesting, although they
will probably damage your microwave (then again, the one I've been
doing it with for years still makes my ramen in three minutes :-)

First off, get rid of the glass bowl and forget about the ten second
time limit.  Both are unnecessary, and they reduce the size and
lifetime of the plasmoids (although they may damage the microwave---
then again, as mentioned above, mine still works).

Second, experiment with different spots in your microwave.  Especially
in older microwaves, some places are more powerful than others.  If
you put your burning {paper, toothpick, dishrag, charcoal} in one of
these "hot spots," suddenly your plasmoids will appear sooner, last
longer, and look cooler.  If your microwave has a turning tray, place
the medium on the tray to begin with, and observe where the plasmoid
activity is the greatest.  Once you find the hot spot, remove the
carousel and put the medium in that spot.

Finally, and potentially the coolest, play around with your burning
medium.  Paper works better than toothpicks in general because the
bigger the flame, the bigger the plasmoids.  I like to use newspaper
and toilet paper.  Perhaps the most spectacular show I've ever seen
came from a small bit of crushed charcoal on a bed of fine steel wool.
For this one, you don't have to light it---the steel wool will glow
hot enough to light the charcoal and produce the plasmoids.  If it
doesn't work, you're probably using too much charcoal.

The only things you should really avoid are large sheets of metal
(aluminum foil, etc).  These tend to reflect the microwave energy very
well and turn your microwave into a dog welder :-)

Of course, I disclaim any and all liability associated with the above.
I will accept no responsibility in the case that you injure yourself
or anyone else while trying this.

--
Riad Wahby
rsw at mit.edu
MIT VI-2/A 2002

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