What happens when you put a penny in the microwave

But some social media users are contradicting that, claiming microwaving a coin will shrink it. It's a claim that is both wrong and dangerous. It's part of a long-running prank on various social media platforms, where posters try to trick others into attempting the potentially dangerous action.

It's a lesson even the worst home cooks hopefully know: Putting metal in the microwave is a recipe for disaster. Thanks to a viral image circulating on the web, some people may be tempted to ignore this piece of common sense in the name of experimentation. The picture shows one normal-sized penny next to three smaller pennies with the caption: "This is what happens when you put a penny in a microwave for 2 minutes. Microwave ovens heat food by bouncing microwaves around a metal box. Certain molecules, like the molecules in your leftovers, absorb these waves via dielectric loss and convert them into heat. Not all substances are compatible with microwaves, however. Metal contains high concentrations of electrons, and when microwaves hit a metallic surface, these electrons become very active and block the wave's path.

What happens when you put a penny in the microwave

About this rating. Do not put metal in a microwave oven. It's a simple and important rule many people learn at a young age. But apparently it bears some repeating. In November , a potentially dangerous prank started to circulate on social media in the form of before-and-after photographs. Twitter user riikerton posted a picture of a regular-sized penny and a picture of a much smaller penny and claimed that the coin had shrunk after it was put in a microwave for about two minutes:. These pictures do not show a microwaved penny, as pennies will not shrink if you put them in as microwave oven. The pictures likely feature a miniature penny prop, such as the one seen in the following picture from a magician trick set:. Putting a penny in a microwave is not going to cause it to shrink. However, it may cause it to get dangerously hot and start to spark. A microwave is a magnetron "hooked up to a high voltage source. That's what causes our leftovers to heat up and our popcorn to pop. With metal, however, these waves are reflected, not absorbed, which can lead to sparking. Mental Floss explained :. When microwaves are reflected instead of being absorbed, it can potentially create a sufficient charge density that the electrical potential in the metal object exceeds the dielectric breakdown of air.

The sparks can also end up burning out the magnetron in your microwave oven or, in modern microwaves, can generate a surge that ends up damaging sensitive microelectronics, possibly killing your microwave or making it unsafe to use.

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Misbar concluded that you cannot shrink a penny by microwaving it for any amount of time. It will cause the penny to spark, but will not shrink it. Putting metal in the microwave could damage it. In extreme cases, microwaving metal objects could even start a fire. According to the United States Mint, pennies are made from zinc and copper.

What happens when you put a penny in the microwave

But some social media users are contradicting that, claiming microwaving a coin will shrink it. It's a claim that is both wrong and dangerous. It's part of a long-running prank on various social media platforms, where posters try to trick others into attempting the potentially dangerous action.

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Contact Us. Thanks to a viral image circulating on the web, some people may be tempted to ignore this piece of common sense in the name of experimentation. One response to the image showed a melted microwave that had allegedly fallen victim to the penny trick. Videos of coins being microwaved posted online show sparks appearing almost immediately after starting the microwave. When microwaves are reflected instead of being absorbed, it can potentially create a sufficient charge density that the electrical potential in the metal object exceeds the dielectric breakdown of air. With metal, however, these waves are reflected, not absorbed, which can lead to sparking. If put in the microwave, the coins will start to spark, but they won't shrink. Putting a penny in a microwave is not going to cause it to shrink. The post inspired some people to share false claims of their own. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. Food and Safety Inspection Service. A screengrab of the tweet posted on Reddit shows it had been retweeted more than 11, times within one week of posting.

It's a lesson even the worst home cooks hopefully know: Putting metal in the microwave is a recipe for disaster. Thanks to a viral image circulating on the web, some people may be tempted to ignore this piece of common sense in the name of experimentation. The picture shows one normal-sized penny next to three smaller pennies with the caption: "This is what happens when you put a penny in a microwave for 2 minutes.

Putting a penny in a microwave is not going to cause it to shrink. This picture does not show a kitchen destroyed from a microwaved penny. The image is a screenshot of a tweet, but the username and date have been cut off. The tweet featured an image of the purported shrunken coin next to a regular-sized penny. Show Caption. The reaction is milder if the metal has a smooth surface, like a spoon, Live Science reported in With metal, however, these waves are reflected, not absorbed, which can lead to sparking. Home U. Login My Profile Logout. We rate the claim that microwaving a penny for one minute will shrink the coin FALSE, based on our research.