1. Place the mini-marshmallows in the dish one layer thick.
2. If your microwave has a rotating platform, remove it. We don’t want the dish to rotate.
3. Put the dish in the microwave for 10 seconds.
4. When you remove the dish, you’ll notice only
certain parts are melted. (Time may depend on the microwave – if all or
none of your marshmallows melted, adjust the time.)
5. Measure the distance between melted marshmallows
using your ruler. Measure in centimeters. This is half the wavelength
of a microwave.
6. Look for a sticker on your microwave that tells
you its frequency in Hertz (Hz). Most microwaves are around 2450 MHz.
Note: MHz = 10^6 Hz
7. Use the following equation to find the speed of light:
Speed of light = 2 x (distance between melted spots) x (frequency of microwave)
8. The actual speed of light is 3.00 x 10^10 cm/s. How close were you?
