Measuring The Speed Of Light Using A Microwave Oven

[tw112013]

Is there an independant and dependant variable for this topic? I am unsure what the project is trying to test.It just seems like it is calculating the speed of light using an egg in the microwave. I am interested in doing this project, but am unsure of the variables.

Thank You for your response in advance.

[kaylimasuda]

Hello there!

There can be an experiment if you change the procedures slightly. Perhaps you can vary the time microwaved and see if there is an effect on your calculated result of the speed of light. Furthermore, you can possibly do the experiment with multiple microwaves (friends', school's?) and see if the labeled frequency has an impact on your calculation. There shouldn't be since the speed of light is constant, but you can find out!

I hope this helps!
- Kayli Masuda

[rpeteranderl]

You could repeat the experiment in microwave ovens of different sizes. The microwave oven is producing a standing wave. Since the frequency of the microwave is determined by the molecular properties of water, there should be more or less fixed sizes for the cavity of the microwave oven, and 1, 2 or 3 nodes depending on the size. The speed of light should always be the same, but you could see if the resonance cavity behaves as one would expect