I'd stumbled across this Veritasium* clip about the behaviour of rotating bodies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VPfZ_XzisU (don't ask why I was stumbling anywhere near there). Interesting stuff. I've lost count of how many times I've thrown objects into the air since watching it.
Then I watched the clip about using a domestic microwave oven to make plasma: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCrtk-pyP0I
Chris was intrigued and we were bored (me with being more-or-less confined to barracks, Chris after far too many months of working from home), so we spent an hour or so nuking grapes.
Like most experiments, it was a mix of success and failure. Yes, we made plasma. No, we didn't contain it. The oven door now has a hole where said plasma tried to escape:
Maybe we should have watched this clip before we rushed headlong towards meltdown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0u8Vtf2GoQ
Stay safe, have fun, and remember this: if the two conflict, always go for the fun.
🙂
* If you enjoyed those two Veritasium clips, you should have a look at the huge list of other interesting content there - there's something for just about anyone. I recommend the item that deals with the science behind tenpin bowling.
THE SMALL(ish) PRINT... (updated 23/07/2016)
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