Jump to main content

Measuring the Speed of 'Light' with a Microwave Oven

1
2
3
4
5
2,104 reviews

Abstract

Did you know that you can measure the speed of light using a microwave oven, some egg white, and a ruler? Find out how with this cool kitchen science project thanks to Mr. Nick Hood, a science teacher in Fife, Scotland.

Summary

Areas of Science
Difficulty
 
Time Required
Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites
You'll need a microwave oven to do this project. You'll get the most out of this project if you've taken (or are currently taking) a course in high school physics.
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety
Adult supervision recommended
Credits

Andrew Olson, PhD, Science Buddies

Sources

The idea for this project and the microwave oven images are from:

  • Hood, N. (2007). Measuring the Speed of Light in the Kitchen.

We believe the idea behind this science project can be first traced back to this publication:

  • Stauffer, R.H., Jr. (1997, April). Finding the Speed of Light with Marshmallows - A Take-Home Lab. The Physics Teacher, 35, 231.

Objective

The goal of this project is to measure the speed of electromagnetic waves in the microwave portion of the spectrum by measuring the spacing between hot spots in a microwave oven.

Introduction

Microwaves, like light, are an example of electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic waves can travel through the vacuum of interstellar space. They do not depend on an external medium-unlike a mechanical wave such as a sound wave which must travel through air, water, or some solid medium. Electromagnetic waves cover a huge range of frequencies, from high-frequency gamma rays and x-rays, to ultraviolet light, visible light, and infrared light, and on into microwaves and radio waves. As the frequency decreases, so does the energy. The wavelength of an electromagnetic wave is inversely proportional to its frequency. So waves with high frequency have short wavelengths, and waves with low frequency have long wavelengths.

Electromagnetic waves interact with materials in different ways, depending on the nature of the material and the frequency of the electromagnetic wave. Microwaves work well for cooking because their energy can be efficiently absorbed by molecules commonly found in food, including water, sugars, and fats. The absorbed microwave energy heats these molecules and cooks the food. As you can see in Figure 1 below, the range of microwave wavelengths is from 0.01 cm to 10 cm.

The visible light spectrum extends from violet light at 400 nanometers to red light at 700 nanometers

The electromagnetic spectrum extends from very short wavelength gamma rays to very long wavelength radio waves. The focus of this diagram is to display the portion of the spectrum that is visible to the human eye. Wavelengths between 400 and 700 nanometer are visible as colors and make up a very small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.


Figure 1. The electromagnetic spectrum. Electromagnetic radiation covers a huge range of wavelengths. Light (the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we can detect with our eyes) is only a small portion of this range. X-rays, light, and microwaves are all examples of electromagnetic waves. (Illustration from Abrisa Glass & Coatings, 2005)

In this project you will take advantage of some physical properties of waves in order to estimate the speed of light. These properties are interference and the relationship between a wave's speed, its frequency, and its wavelength. Interference is what happens when multiple waves interact. For example, at the beach, the incoming waves from the ocean and the outgoing waves from the surf drawing back from the beach interfere with one another. When two wave crests coincide, they combine to make an even higher crest. When two wave troughs coincide, they combine to make an even lower trough. When a wave crest and a wave trough coincide, they tend to cancel each other out. Interference is the name physicists use for this kind of combination of waves.

In a microwave oven, interference occurs between waves that are reflected from the inside surfaces of the oven. The interference patterns can create "hot" and "cold" spots in the oven-areas where the microwave energy is higher or lower than average. This is why many microwave ovens have rotating platters to promote more even cooking of the food. In the experiment described below, you'll remove the rotating platter (if your oven has one) in order to see the effects of the interference pattern on your cooking. You'll cook an egg white just long enough for some parts of the egg to solidify, while the rest remains partially cooked. The egg white will cook fastest at the hot spots in the oven. The distance between the hot spots will be equal to half of the wavelength of the microwaves. You will be able to measure the distance between the hot spots by measuring the distance between the cooked portions of the egg.

So measurements from your cooking will give you the wavelength of the microwaves. With one more piece of information, the frequency of the waves, you will be able to calculate the speed of light. You should be able to find the frequency of the microwaves on a label on the back of the oven. The frequency (f), wavelength (λ, and wave speed (v) are related by the equation: v = f λ.

The Experimental Procedure section has all the details for doing the experiment. Do your background research and then go cook some eggs and see what they can tell you about the speed of light.

Terms and Concepts

To do this project, you should do research that enables you to understand the following terms and concepts:

Questions

Bibliography

  • For more information on the physics of microwave ovens, see:
    Baguley, R and McDonald, C. (Dec 1,2014). Appliance Science: The tasty physics of microwave ovens. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  • For more background information on waves, standing waves, and interference, see the following:
    The Physics Classroom. (n.d.). Waves. Retrieved May 5, 2014.

Materials and Equipment

To do this experiment you will need the following materials and equipment:

Experimental Procedure

Safety Note: The materials used in the microwave oven will get hot! Use oven mitts, and be careful so you don't get burned!
  1. Do your background research so that you are familiar with the terms, concepts, and questions in the Background section.
  2. If your oven has a rotating platter, remove it. You won't be able to detect "hot spots" in the oven if your test plate is moving.
    1. Tip: you may not be able to remove the drive mechanism for the turntable in your oven. In that case, you can make a support for your egg plate by placing a flat-bottomed, microwave-safe bowl upside down over the drive mechanism. Naturally, the bowl needs to be large enough so that the drive mechanism does not touch it. It also needs to provide sturdy support for the plate used for cooking the eggs.
The turntable and drive mechanism in a microwave are removed
Figure 2. A microwave oven with the rotating platter removed and drive mechanism removed. If the drive mechanism on your oven does not come out easily, follow the instructions above. (Hood, 2007)
  1. Crack an egg and separate out the egg white (allow the white to drain into a bowl, and hold the yolk back in one half of the broken shell).
  2. Pour some of the egg white onto a microwave-safe plate.
    1. You should have puddles (or stripes) of egg white that are at least 12 cm in diameter (in length).
    2. To sample over the largest area possible, use a plate that is close to the inside dimensions of the microwave.
  3. Put the plate in the oven, close the oven door, and cook the egg.
    1. You'll probably need to experiment to find the ideal cooking time for your particular oven. 30 seconds may be a good starting point. If the egg is completely cooked, start over and decrease the time. If the egg is still totally uncooked, increase the time. If you don't disturb the plate, you can simply add more time. If the plate moves, you'll need to start over with a fresh plate of uncooked egg white.
    2. The ideal result is to have egg white that is partially cooked in some places, and nearly completely cooked in other.
  4. Use oven mitts to remove the plate from the oven. Be careful not to move the egg on the plate. Allow the plate to cool.
  5. Measure the spacing between the cooked portions of the egg. Notes:
    1. The centers of the cooked portions will not be clearly defined.
    2. Your goal in making this measurement is to find:
      1. the average distance between the cooked portions, and
      2. an estimate for the error of your measurement.

      A ruler is used to measure the distance between cooked portions of egg whites on a plate
      Figure 3. Using the cooked portions of the egg white to measure the distance between "hot spots" in the microwave oven. (Hood, 2007)

    3. Measuring the "center-to-center" distance between adjacent cooked portions will give you the average spacing of the hot spots.
    4. Measuring the "edge-to-edge" distances (both shortest and longest) between adjacent cooked portions will give you upper and lower bounds on the error of your measurement.
  6. Clean and dry the plate, and repeat the experiment at least three times.
  7. Look at the label on the back of the microwave to find the frequency of the microwave radiation the oven produces (see the illustration below). Alternatively, you may find this information in the user's manual for the oven.
    A sample microwave label is shown to produce radiation at 2450 megahertz
    Figure 4. Example of a microwave oven label, showing the frequency of the microwave radiation: 2450 MHz. (Hood, 2007)

  8. The spacing of the hot spots will be equal to one-half of the wavelength of the microwaves.
  9. Calculate the speed of the microwaves using the wavelength (measured) and frequency (from the oven label). Remember to use your upper and lower boundary measurements to put error limits on your measurement.
  10. How closely does your calculation agree with published values for the speed of light?
icon scientific method

Ask an Expert

Do you have specific questions about your science project? Our team of volunteer scientists can help. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and help you troubleshoot.

Variations

Careers

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers:

Career Profile
Physicists have a big goal in mind—to understand the nature of the entire universe and everything in it! To reach that goal, they observe and measure natural events seen on Earth and in the universe, and then develop theories, using mathematics, to explain why those phenomena occur. Physicists take on the challenge of explaining events that happen on the grandest scale imaginable to those that happen at the level of the smallest atomic particles. Their theories are then applied to… Read more
Career Profile
Our universe is full of matter and energy, and how that matter and energy moves and interacts in space and time is the subject of physics. Physics teachers spend their days showing and explaining the marvels of physics, which underlies all the other science subjects, including biology, chemistry, Earth and space science. Their work serves to develop the next generation of scientists and engineers, including all healthcare professionals. They also help all students better understand their… Read more

News Feed on This Topic

 
, ,

Cite This Page

General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.

MLA Style

Science Buddies Staff. "Measuring the Speed of 'Light' with a Microwave Oven." Science Buddies, 23 June 2020, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Phys_p056/physics/measuring-the-speed-of-light-with-a-microwave-oven?from=Blog. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

APA Style

Science Buddies Staff. (2020, June 23). Measuring the Speed of 'Light' with a Microwave Oven. Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Phys_p056/physics/measuring-the-speed-of-light-with-a-microwave-oven?from=Blog


Last edit date: 2020-06-23
Top
We use cookies and those of third party providers to deliver the best possible web experience and to compile statistics.
By continuing and using the site, including the landing page, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
OK, got it
Free science fair projects.