Hi, we're here from Curiosity.com to help you get smarter in just a few minutes.

I'm Cody Gough.

And I'm Ashley Hamer.

Today you learn about why metals, fruit, and vegetables spark in the microwave and the 135

method for arranging your to-do list.

You'll also hear a couple lesser-known stories from the 20th century space race between the

U.S. and the Soviet Union and the fourth and final installment of our Moon Monday mini series with

Dr David Worm Flash. Let's satisfy some curiosity. Do you know that not all

metal sparks in your microwave? And did you know that certain fruits and vegetables do?

A lot of people use microwaves,

so let's dig into some microwave physics.

First off, let's recap what your TV dinner's

favorite appliance actually does.

A microwave produces, well, microwaves, as in a certain wavelength of electromagnetic radiation.

That microwave radiation creates an electric field inside the microwave that does different things to different materials.

For example, water molecules absorb microwaves, which makes them move around and create heat.

But metal is a really good conductor of electricity,

so it acts like a lightning rod and creates a stronger electric field

than there is in the air around it.

That electric charge wants somewhere to cool off so it makes a beeline

for another material with lower electric potential like the plastic in your plate.

And when an electrical charge connects between two surfaces through the air, that creates sparks.

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