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A. Microwave Oven: Let's start with the microwave oven in your kitchen (or a friend's kitchen). If you don't have a microwave, then consult U-Tubes or other online guides. It

won't be as much fun, but you can still learn a lot.Your microwave oven is powered by a magnetron, a device rooted in World War II radar technology, a very efficient producer of high-power microwaves. We'll learn more about it later in the course. Look up its design in Wikipedia.1) Place a fixed amount of water in your microwave and heat it up until it just boils (e.g.,10 fluid ounces is about 300 ml). Based on the amount water and how long it takes to reach 100 °C, estimate the effective power output of your oven. How does this compare with its rated power?2) What is the purpose of the metallic screen on the front door of the oven? Explain very briefly.3) Microwave a grape (split in half), a DVD/CD laid flat, or some other item that sparks nicely. I recommend you read up about it before trying anything there are lots of ideas on the Internet. Grapes are great and DVD/CDs put on a fine show, but they'll produce a smelly gas (toxicity unknown but probably inadvisable). Although they can be quite spectacular, I recommend against microwaving metal objects with sharp edges (e.g., forks,crinkled aluminum foil) unless it's done in someone else's oven under the condition that either the oven or your friendship is expendable. Explain what happened in terms of what you've learned in class thus far.

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