Physics Experiments from Upcycled Appliances

Yesterday I stopped by the Upcycling for Physics booth here at Maker Faire New York, and I really enjoyed their exhibit! The Xraise Cornell crew took old tools and appliances and made them into interactive devices that demonstrate unusual physics phenomena. One of my favorites was a microwave with a bunch of neon bulbs installed on the turnplate, which ionize and light up when hit with the microwaves. So you can see how the heat is not evenly distributed inside.

Here’s a montage video of some of the fun gadgets they had out for visitors to play with (thanks to Alvin Acerbo for demonstrating):