I put a plate with a gold pattern on it in the microwave and sparks started flying inside, what causes this.?
400986
A microwave makes food hot by causing the protons and electrons in the food move about quickly.  The microscopic particles in a regular plate won't move as quickly as the ones in the food and therefore, won't get hot as fast.  Metal, on the other hand, has microscopic particles which start reacting to the microwave energy very quickly.  These little bundles of energy start moving so fast that they begin sparking in your microwave oven.  This is why you can't put aluminum foil in your microwave and also why you can't cook in the microwave with gold trimmed plates.
419109
I don't remember the ordering, but there's probably some metal out there that won't react?  Gold, maybe?  For regular metal, that sounds a bit iffy.
1147577
I've never had this happen to me, but I have heard that it can.  In fact, my aunt told me that even after you take the cup out of the microwave and go to stir it, it can explode then.
1073180
I made earrings out of guitar picks and to install the french wire I melted a hole at the pointy end with an awl/ice pick.  I heated up the metal tip of the awl on the gas stove and used it to melt a small hole in the guitar pick.  Cool idea, now I'll make a matching necklace!  Thanks!
864101
what you do is you get 3 chunks of that foam stuff used for packing (not the peanuts the little bricks)\nmake sure they are about an inch thick.... alternatively you can use chunks of wood NO METALLIC OBJECTS!!!!!!!\n\nthen get your hands on a small clear vase or you can also use a big drinking GLASS\n\nset the blocks in your microwave, in a pattern that will let you set the glass upside down on the platter but you can still get your finger into the glass from the bottom.....\n\nlight a match and stick it directly under the glass...\n\n(the blocks help the match get air)\n\nset the microwave to high for 20 seconds.... you will see an awesome light show inside the glass, the glass will NOT be hot and will NOT explode, as well as your microwave will NOT be harmed\n BUT\n\nthere is a gas formed by this method of plasma creation...\nto us its poisonous, im not sure what it is exactly but dont breath it, it will not stay on items or taint items but if you BREATH it you can get sick.\n\nyou can choose to clean the glass and use it again and again and not have any problems as there was no residue to clean to begin with... or\nyou can just chuck it.\n\nalternatively you can just run over to spencer's gifts and pick up a plasma globe
929210
You are exactly right. The energy given to the system when you hit them together was enough energy to break the bonds of the oxide layers on top. The thermal energy of the reaction elevated the electron energy states for a small amount of time, causing them to fall back down to their ground state and giving off some photons...hence the spark.
404922
It may be over-heating
858685
A microwave excites water thermally and unevenly at that.  A modern microwave in good repair poses no risk to you regarding microwave radiation.  The Faraday's cage (a metal net surrounding the microwave) protects you completely from radiation.\n\nIt is true, though, that water can be heated to an unusual gas-liquid stage if only a small amount of water is heated for half-an-hour or more, which is very unstable when released to an open atmosphere.  Hot water can explode when sufficient supercritical water (much above the temperature for evaporating) meets a quick change in water vapor pressure (lots of steam leaves the surface of the supercitical water).\n\nIn conclusion, under normal circumstances there is no risk to your health whatsoever.  If you microwave materials to really, really, really high temperatures, it is reasonable to expect trouble.  If you open the microwave door and notice an incredible amount of steam escaping, close the door most of the way and leave the area completely.\n\nThe mostly closed door with facilitate or slower and thus more stable transition to room conditions.  Always exercise caution with scalding hot materials, but the microwave has a way of heating things past the temperature that you are planning or expecting.  As the heat dissipates, so does the hazard, no different than with any other machine.
495856
not that i know of, in fact my microwave puts additional flavor in my food, but i haven't cleaned it ever nor have i put a lid on anything, and i don't use a plate, i put my lasagna on the rotating tray, then remove it with my paws, then i cook macaroni in the microwave, i put the noodles and water and cheese powder and milk on the rotating tray, then i pour my cereal on it too, just fo kicks, all my friends love it, only kidding, i can't believe you fell for that, i don't really have friends, wahhhhh!!!
20070
Cooking food with microwaves was discovered by Percy Spencer while building magnetrons for radar sets at Raytheon. He was working on an active radar set when he noticed a strange sensation, and saw that a chocolate bar he had in his pocket had melted.\n\nIt was patented in 1946
803176
That's very interesting.  I haven't heard of anyone with this problem, but it is interesting nonetheless.  I have some background in physics, and I'm not aware of any known scientific reason why that could be even remotely possible.  In my field, we often look for other more ordinary reasons why some phenomenon is occuring.  For example, it's possible that you've simply had bad luck with CD players.  Were all your CD players made in Bangladesh by any chance?  I've had some made there, and they all broke too, lol.  Car windows and radios malfunctioning could also likely be attributed to GM.  Trust me, I've been there too, lol.  Also, in the case of the car window, it could be your technique in operating the power windows.  Was there a child safety lock on the window that was locked at the time your mom was trying to roll them up?  I use the child safety lock in my car so my kids can't play with the power windows, and sometimes I forget it's on and I can't roll down the windows when I'm at the BK drive-thru, and I get so angry, I try screaming through the closed window, lol.  But seriously, when I get hungry I get a temper, and if I take it out on my kids one more time, I could loose custody, and I can't just keep blaming GM. \n\nAfter we explore the most common, earthly explanations for a particular phenomenon, we often find a perfectly acceptable answer, but sometimes we don't.  Science doesn't have all the answers yet.  The human body does have an electric charge, complete with an electromagnetic field.  I could see a slight possibility that if a person's electromagnetic field is exceptionally strong, it might interfere with electronics, although I think that's a long shot.  I've heard that sleeping on a bed of magnets, or wearing magnets in your clothing can correct electromagnetic imbalances, but there's no scientific proof to back that up.  I would say that there's nothing wrong with you that's causing electronics to malfunction, and it's more likely that you've just had bad luck with electronics.  But anything's possible.
933105
Take precautions against static electricity, especially when you open the box or handle the chip.  Mild static damage can ruin miniature electronics like chips easily.  If you felt the shock, it was probably enough to ruin it right away, more mild damage should show up within six months.\n\nYou've probably learned the static rules, then forgotten bits.  I know I have.  Here's a refresher. http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Computer_Science/2002/static.asp
669973
I don't fear the microwave oven, but then, I don't stand in front of it, peering into the window, watching the food cook either. My rule is, turn it on and walk away. A small amount of leakage does occur. I detected it once with a germanium diode connected across the leads of a DC millivoltmeter. It measured about 30 millivolts at ten feet away.
19985
Ar e you talking about a microwave oven?  It is very dangerous to put metal in microwaves.  The radiation used in a microwave is designed to be a specific wavelength that is preferentially absorbed by water.  But meatl can greb all wavelengths, and via the photoelectric effect, it can turn the microwave photons into electrical sparks that could start a fire.
8282
Microwaves are not ionizing radiation, but they will cause your flesh to cook if you are exposed to enough of it for long enough. They will cause burns.
60247
Health problems usually associated with electromagnetic radiation (such as cancer) are caused by waves of much higher frequency.  In fact, the light from an ordinary 100-watt light bulb or the heats from a campfire (the heat only not including the smoke) have greater potential to cause cancer.  The only health problem that a microwave could cause is burns, but unless you really do break the glass on your microwave, you should be fine, just be careful about burning yourself on hot dishes and plates.
205261
http://margo.student.utwente.nl/el/microwave/\n\n\nIn the U.S. used to be a program called "Mr. Wizard's World", in which this old guy would do all sorts of scientific nonsense... And one of the programs, he put a flourescent in the microwave... Although it sounds like fun, the results aren't really that exciting.. It just lights up, like a flourescent light is supposed to. Of course, this makes sense, since the material on the inside of the glass is there to turn the ultraviolet light into visible light in normal operation, and placing it in a microwave just makes this material act in its normal way, lighting up... (emailed by Michael Parker) \n\nI can tell you a bit how it works, I think. In a microwave there's no ultraviolet light. Just radio waves at 2.4 GHz. Normally the flourescent light will transmit ultraviolet light and the white powder will make this visible light. This happens because electrons of the atoms in the powder will get excited because of the exact amount of energy (or: the exact wavelength) they receive from the ultraviolet light. When (after a short while) these electrons fall back into their lower orbit, they also transmit light, but then in the visible range, but only 1 color. So they put several different kinds of atoms in the powder, that will transmit different colors so we will see white light. Appearently, in a microwave the gas in the tube gets energy from the microwave waves (probably because the gas is conducting) and starts transmitting ultraviolet light and the powder will transmit light. Easy.