Easter is a wonderful holiday; it means many things to many people. While there are numerous traditions associated with Easter time, one of my personal favorites is Peep Jousting! For those unfamiliar with this game, two Peeps (those marshmallow candies shaped like chicks and rabbits and such) are placed in the microwave, each armed with a toothpick stuck in its chest. The microwave is set to run for one minute, and as the microwave is running the peeps swell up! Whichever peep’s toothpick touches the other first wins!
As much fun as this game is, there is some very interesting science behind why it works. It starts with the microwave. A microwave oven (usually just called a microwave) works by bombarding the food inside with electromagnetic radiation, which is a form of energy that moves through space as waves. To understand this a little better, think of what happens when you drop a pebble into a lake or a pond. It forms ripples, like this:
These ripples are just small waves that are made when the pebble gives some of its energy to the water as it falls. These are a bit like the waves the microwave uses to give some energy to the Peeps, although you can't see the microwaves!
The energy that the microwave gives to the Peeps causes the water inside them to heat up. As the water heats up, it heats up the sugar in the Peep, which makes it softer, and it also heats up the air inside the Peep. As the air in the Peep gets warmer, the air molecules start moving faster and faster, and this causes the air to expand. This expanding air is what causes the Peep to get bigger and bigger!
TRY THIS!!
NOTE: You need to plan ahead for this one, at least one week—or two weeks if you can. Buy the Peeps now, since they are hard to get after the Easter season (if you don't have them already)!
Here’s what you’ll need:
1. One package of Peeps (or plain marshmallows, if you cannot find Peeps)
2. A resealable zip-top bag
3. Paper plates
4. A marker or crayon
5. Microwave oven
Here’s what to do:
1. Open your package of Peeps (or regular marshmallows), and remove all of them.
2. Place one half of the package in the resealable zip top bag, and seal it very carefully.
3. Leave the other half of the Peeps on the counter or on the same shelf as the ones in the zip-top bag exposed to the air for one or two weeks (the longer the better!).
4. After one or two weeks have gone by, remove your Peeps from the shelf and place two of them on a paper plate: one that was stored in the zip-top bag, and one that was exposed to the air. Be sure to remember which Peep is which! You may want to make a mark with a marker or crayon on the paper plate next to the peep from the zip-top bag to help with this.
5. Place the paper plate with these Peeps in the microwave, and set the microwave to run for 1 minute on its highest setting.
6. Watch both Peeps carefully to see what happens! Be careful that neither of the Peeps start to burn (if you smell something burning or see smoke, STOP THE MICROWAVE IMMEDIATELY!!).
What happened to the Peeps while the microwave was running? What happened to the one that was kept in a zip-top bag? Did the one kept exposed to air behave any differently? What could be the explanation for any differences? (Remember that the reason the Peeps get bigger is because of the water inside them.) Be sure to write down everything you observed!
TRY THIS!!
NOTE: You need to plan ahead for this one, at least one week—or two weeks if you can. Buy the Peeps now, since they are hard to get after the Easter season (if you don't have them already)!
Here’s what you’ll need:
1. One package of Peeps (or plain marshmallows, if you cannot find Peeps)
2. A resealable zip-top bag
3. Paper plates
4. A marker or crayon
5. Microwave oven
Here’s what to do:
1. Open your package of Peeps (or regular marshmallows), and remove all of them.
2. Place one half of the package in the resealable zip top bag, and seal it very carefully.
3. Leave the other half of the Peeps on the counter or on the same shelf as the ones in the zip-top bag exposed to the air for one or two weeks (the longer the better!).
4. After one or two weeks have gone by, remove your Peeps from the shelf and place two of them on a paper plate: one that was stored in the zip-top bag, and one that was exposed to the air. Be sure to remember which Peep is which! You may want to make a mark with a marker or crayon on the paper plate next to the peep from the zip-top bag to help with this.
5. Place the paper plate with these Peeps in the microwave, and set the microwave to run for 1 minute on its highest setting.
6. Watch both Peeps carefully to see what happens! Be careful that neither of the Peeps start to burn (if you smell something burning or see smoke, STOP THE MICROWAVE IMMEDIATELY!!).
What happened to the Peeps while the microwave was running? What happened to the one that was kept in a zip-top bag? Did the one kept exposed to air behave any differently? What could be the explanation for any differences? (Remember that the reason the Peeps get bigger is because of the water inside them.) Be sure to write down everything you observed!
Marshmallow Peeps® are a trademark of Just Born, Inc., Bethlehem, PA, USA.
