Can cellphones really cook popcorn?!?!?!?

Question

I just watched this video and it's so amazing! :) I don't know it it's real but it's just amazing.

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/2867356/8228068

What do you think? Is it true that cellphones can cook popcorn just like that?

Answer 1

Yeah if you are MacGyver...

Answer 2

I wanna clarify some things posted:

Actually the cell phone does transmit microwaves, fully capable of dielectric heating - but their very low power combined with the fact that they transmit out into open air (as opposed to within a metal cage, like a microwave oven) is why people don't "cook" when they talk on phones. Their frequency has little to do with it.

Even for the low power transmitted by the phone, only a fraction of a percent of that energy makes it to the kernels -- because they're out in the open. A microwave oven gains its efficiency by having the food in a cage, so the energy can't escape. Thus, almost all of it goes to heating. Even if the cell phone transmitted enough power, it still wouldn't cook while sitting on a table in the open like that.

And cell phones are transmitting when they receive a call. When they hear the signal, they respond and send brief transmissions the entire time the phone is ringing. Anyone who's heard their cell phone's transmissions through speakers or headphones while it's ringing can confirm that.

Answer 3

i dunno but i think its a hoax

it is even stupid if someone would post a video of cellphones roasting a chicken

Answer 4

microwaves cook food by agitating water molecules using a specific wavelength, different wavelengths agitate diffeferent molecules, phones don't use the same wavelength as microwave ovens so they can't cook things, but thats not to say they don't agitate other kinds of molecules im sure if you did some research or maybe even experimenting (which would probally cost allot) you could find some molecule they do heat, but phones are harmless.

Answer 5

Well, let's use some commonsense here. When you pop popcorn in your microwave---it takes several minutes, right? The first minute is spent just bringing the corn up to the heat level necessary for popping to occur; the final minute is used in adding just enough heat energy to pop all of the corn.  OK, your microwave oven runs at between 500 and 1000 watts of RF energy in the, I don't know, the 2.4 GHz range.

Now, 4 cell phones, in the talk mode (transmitting), produces about the same as 1/2 or one watts across the corn seeds. Notice in the video that the pop-corn pops in about 20 seconds. That should tell you something right there.  Also notice, that the 4 cell phones are in the "receive" mode (cell phone ringing and vibrating) when the pop-corn pops.  These 4 cell phones are not putting out any RF power in the receive mode.  Of course the video is a hoax.

Answer 6

Just try it so you can see the results. I've tried it.

Answer 7

I didn't even watch the video and I know that thats not true.

Cell phones do emit microwave radiation but not at the frequency that excites and heats water molecules.

If it were true, then you would cook your brain and hand every time you took a call.

Answer 8

The power needed to cook popcorn is about 1000 Watts (a typical microwave). [1]

The average power from a mobile phone is (depending on the phone) restricted to 0.2-0.6 Watts  [2] giving a total power of, at most, about 2.5 Watts (for four mobiles phones)

That means that the power generated by the phones in the clip is 400 times weaker than what is needed.

They probably put some heating device under the table or something.

Answer 9

Cell phones can't pop popcorn becuase popcorn needs almsot 1000 watts to cook it. The average cell phone gives off about 500 wats less than that. I didn't see the video but a cell phone could never cook popcorn.

Answer 10

No, they cannot cook popcorn because sell phones don't emit enough microwave radiation to cook popcorn. If it did, when you talk on your phone you would cook your brain.