The "appalam" science: Professor uses appalam to study physics

The standing wave pattern in a microwave doesn't heat up the food evenly. Hence the microwave has a revolving plate. I have no idea what it means except for the fact that microwave doesn't heat up food evenly which I know because I heat food in microwave oven.

To visualize this, a physics professor used Indian appalams. The microwaved appalams have a particular pattern to it.

Let's simplify it. Microwaves inside of a microwave oven are electromagnetic waves and are reflected inside the oven. These waves interact with each other and form interference patterns that result in areas that are intense and areas that have essentially zero microwave energy. The thermal paper forms a thermograph of the interference pattern.

The experiment left many intrigued by the outcome. While some were interested in physics, others, like me, were interested in tasting the appalam.

Using poppadoms to determine the shape of the microwave’s standing wave 😊 #physics #inTheKitchen #science pic.twitter.com/4RQzpjP7CJ

— Dr. Carolina Ödman (@carolune) April 3, 2019