The science behind Rashi taking out chana (chickpea) from the cooker.

We learn science not to just mug up things and get good grades but to learn every bit of science happening in our surroundings. Yes, it may sound crazy but it is true. From cooking skills, to playing sports everywhere a hidden science is involved. For a science student or any researcher like Isaac newton we just need to be a good observer and ask questions, that’s what makes a  scientist different from a layman. Recently there is a viral video going on where you must have seen a clip of an Indian famous daily shop called “Saath Nibhana Saathiya”. In this video, the mother in law keeps on asking her daughter in law why she took out the chana (chickpea) from the cooker. We may have laughed out through this video and memes but there is science behind her action. So here are some science but funny facts:

1. We all sometimes in our life fear of working with a cooker thinking about how dangerous it could be but is it really?

• Yes, A cooker can form a hundred atmosphere pressure which is a pressure typical of a scuba tank when it finally ruptures it can easily kill you.

2. How does the pressure build up in a cooker and cause blast?

• When there is ONLY WATER in the cooker and all the water evaporates as steam, the steam now starts expanding further on heating. In this case, there is no water to regulate the temperature (at boiling point).
• The expanding steam and air pressure results in the building up high energy. This force-opens the lid or sometimes throws the weight.
• This sudden opening causes a blast as some energy is changed to sound energy during the high energy opening. Thus, the superheated steam can blow the lid off the cooker and cause blast.

3. Which gives us the answer to why did Rashi takes out chana (chickpea) from the cooker?

• The answer is science ( pun intended)

Now we have seen how a simple science can be so dangerous that can kill you. Let’s learn more such home science and make science not boring but more interesting. To be precise let’s learn while laughing.