Table of Contents
What happens when you heat a marshmallow?
When heating a marshmallow in a microwave, some moisture inside the marshmallow evaporates, adding gas to the bubbles. In addition, a warmer gas pushes outward with more force. Both adding gas and heating cause the gas bubbles to expand, thereby causing the marshmallow to puff up.
Why does a marshmallow expand when heated in the microwave?
When you cook marshmallows in your microwave oven, several things happen at once. The microwave makes the water molecules vibrate very quickly—which makes the water heat up. Since the sugar walls are warm and soft, the bubbles expand, and the marshmallow puffs up.
What happens to the volume of the air bubbles inside the marshmallows?
Marshmallows have small bubbles of air trapped inside them. These bubbles are at atmospheric pressure. When the air inside the glass container is sucked out, the volume of the container remains the same although there is much less air inside – so the pressure is reduced.
What happened to the size volume of the marshmallow when pressure was increased?
When you pushed in the plunger, the air pressure increased, pushing the bubbles out of the marshmallow and decreasing its size. When the plunger was pulled out, the pressure decreased so the marshmallow expanded in size.
Will a marshmallow explode in the microwave?
If you keep it in the microwave for too long, the air will expand too much for the stretching ability of the gelatin. That’s a bang! The marshmallows will blow up.
Does marshmallow expand in your stomach?
Now the gas molecules trapped inside the marshmallow are pushing more strongly than the gas molecules outside. This makes the marshmallow expand (get bigger).
Can a marshmallow explode in the microwave?
When a marshmallow is put on a stick and heated in the fire, the heat is strong enough to caramelize the sugar syrup on the surface of it. Caramelization involves oxidation of the sugar. In microwaves, the heat will never be enough to caramelize the sugar. The marshmallow will explode.
What is the relationship between volume and pressure?
Volume and Pressure: Boyle’s Law Decreasing the volume of a contained gas will increase its pressure, and increasing its volume will decrease its pressure. In fact, if the volume increases by a certain factor, the pressure decreases by the same factor, and vice versa.
Why do marshmallows get bigger inside a vacuum?
When the vacuum packer removes the air that was once pushing on the outside of the marshmallow, the air trapped inside the marshmallow pushes out (expands) causing it to get larger.
What is the best way to melt marshmallows?
Melt Marshmallows in the Microwave
- Use a large, microwave-safe bowl.
- Add one bag of marshmallows.
- Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water.
- Put in the microwave on high for 30 seconds.
- When the timer goes off, remove the bowl and stir the marshmallows.
- Repeat this step until the marshmallows are smooth.
Will a marshmallow float in water?
When you drop a marshmallow in water, it floats like a balloon. A marshmallow is full of air bubbles, which puff it out. The sugar in the marshmallow gets spread out over a large area, making the marshmallow less dense than water. When your marshmallow is as small as you can make it, drop it in water.