Popcorn Lab

In class today, we did a popcorn lab. We cooked popcorn in two ways: radiation and convection. In radiation, we used a microwave. We put a bag of corn kernels in a microwave for one minute and thirty seconds. Now, we've all made popcorn hundreds of times in our lives, but I never thought of the science in it. When I made it in the microwave, the process of radiation took place. The radiation from the microwave heats up the kernels and surrounding kernels in a process called "double heating". After a certain point, the heat expands the kernels to a point where they "pop" to form popcorn. The kernel expodes out, so to speak. In the convection stlye, we used a hot air popper to make the movie munchie. However, the way the popcorn formed is through convection, not radiation. We put the popcorn in the hot-air popper and turned on the heat. The hot air rose to the kernels, and after tranferring enough heat, the kernels popped. This is the process of convection at work in an everyday life aspect. In both cases, this is a much healthier way to have popcorn. If you make your own popcorn, there are no added fats or preseratives and it is much healthier to eat.