Comments on: Hit me with your best shot … questions please. http://www.homelyscientist.com/2006/05/hit-me-with-your-best-shot-questions-please/ Science at home from a science geek. Fri, 12 Oct 2007 02:15:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Tris Hussey http://www.homelyscientist.com/2006/05/hit-me-with-your-best-shot-questions-please/comment-page-1/#comment-96 Tris Hussey Sun, 07 May 2006 23:30:57 +0000 http://www.homelyscientist.com/2006/05/04/hit-me-with-your-best-shot-questions-please/#comment-96 Jonic ... both are scientific questions. Latest thinking is that virii aren't technically alive. Nor are prions (the culprit in Mad Cow disease). As for eggs cooking ... well they do explode in the microwave ... the don't explode in the pan because the shells are porous and the heating isn't fast enough to cause breakage ... though it does happen. The liquid isn't really liquid...it's protien, which contracts when heated/cooks. Jonic … both are scientific questions.

Latest thinking is that virii aren’t technically alive. Nor are prions (the culprit in Mad Cow disease).

As for eggs cooking … well they do explode in the microwave … the don’t explode in the pan because the shells are porous and the heating isn’t fast enough to cause breakage … though it does happen. The liquid isn’t really liquid…it’s protien, which contracts when heated/cooks.

]]> By: Jonic http://www.homelyscientist.com/2006/05/hit-me-with-your-best-shot-questions-please/comment-page-1/#comment-95 Jonic Sun, 07 May 2006 23:18:12 +0000 http://www.homelyscientist.com/2006/05/04/hit-me-with-your-best-shot-questions-please/#comment-95 I've got two, but I know the answer to one of them aleady... Which one that is should be obvious after you've read them: Are Virii alive? Why do eggs harden when you boil them? Surely heating the liquid inside would cause the molecules to expand into a gas causing the shell to crack rather than contract into a solid? How are they? - That one's obviously not a scientific question... It would be pretty tough to answer... I just wanted to make sure the questions were to your liking :) I’ve got two, but I know the answer to one of them aleady… Which one that is should be obvious after you’ve read them:

Are Virii alive?

Why do eggs harden when you boil them? Surely heating the liquid inside would cause the molecules to expand into a gas causing the shell to crack rather than contract into a solid?

How are they? – That one’s obviously not a scientific question… It would be pretty tough to answer… I just wanted to make sure the questions were to your liking :)

]]> By: The HomelyScientist » More on microwaves … the electro grape http://www.homelyscientist.com/2006/05/hit-me-with-your-best-shot-questions-please/comment-page-1/#comment-94 The HomelyScientist » More on microwaves … the electro grape Sun, 07 May 2006 17:02:49 +0000 http://www.homelyscientist.com/2006/05/04/hit-me-with-your-best-shot-questions-please/#comment-94 [...] So Scott asked about sparks coming from grapes in the microwave in my latest questions answered post.  Scott directed me to this post that explains what’s going on … in detail, lots of detail.  It also seems that folks in San Diego were in this too. [...] [...] So Scott asked about sparks coming from grapes in the microwave in my latest questions answered post.  Scott directed me to this post that explains what’s going on … in detail, lots of detail.  It also seems that folks in San Diego were in this too. [...]

]]> By: Tris Hussey http://www.homelyscientist.com/2006/05/hit-me-with-your-best-shot-questions-please/comment-page-1/#comment-86 Tris Hussey Fri, 05 May 2006 15:16:40 +0000 http://www.homelyscientist.com/2006/05/04/hit-me-with-your-best-shot-questions-please/#comment-86 Interesting. Okay sparks are electrons doing a happy dance. Now ... usually sparks in the old microwave are caused by metalic things (foil, forks, CDs) ... a veggie? Okay I'm going to have to look this up and try for myself! Interesting. Okay sparks are electrons doing a happy dance. Now … usually sparks in the old microwave are caused by metalic things (foil, forks, CDs) … a veggie? Okay I’m going to have to look this up and try for myself!

]]> By: Scott Goldblatt http://www.homelyscientist.com/2006/05/hit-me-with-your-best-shot-questions-please/comment-page-1/#comment-85 Scott Goldblatt Fri, 05 May 2006 15:05:47 +0000 http://www.homelyscientist.com/2006/05/04/hit-me-with-your-best-shot-questions-please/#comment-85 Ok, here goes. Explain to me this: Cut a grape in half, put is on a plate with the flat sides up (that would be the center of the original grape), make sure that the sides of the grape are touching, then put it in the microwave and press start. Aha, sparks! Why? Same thing happens with cut green beans in a plastic bowl. Put is microwave, press start, and voila! Sparks. Riddle me that, oh Homely Scientist. Ok, here goes. Explain to me this:

Cut a grape in half, put is on a plate with the flat sides up (that would be the center of the original grape), make sure that the sides of the grape are touching, then put it in the microwave and press start. Aha, sparks! Why? Same thing happens with cut green beans in a plastic bowl. Put is microwave, press start, and voila! Sparks.

Riddle me that, oh Homely Scientist.

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