"dsi1" > wrote in message
...
> On 4/15/2010 12:01 PM, George Leppla wrote:
>> http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave.asp
>>
>>
>> A friend sent me the above link. Apparently if the conditions are right,
>> you can cause water to explode by heating it in a microwave.
>
> Just as water can be cooled below its freezing point and remain a liquid,
> it can also be brought to a temperature above its boiling point without
> boiling. "Explode" is a bit of an exaggeration. Mostly, it boils and spits
> a bit and flows over the container. This can happen if water of high
> purity is heated in a clean cup or glass in a microwave. Make sure you try
> this at home kids! :-)

Doesn't even have to be that clean of a cup to get some reaction. When I
make tea in the afternoon, I put the water in a cup in the microwave until
bubble start coming up from below. If you stick a coffee stirrer or
something into the cup at that point, it will boil furiously (and overflow
the cup).



Brian