[Physics] Why is the tupperware sealed after heating it up in the microwave

everyday-lifeheatthermodynamics

I had a vegetable soup in a crystal tupperware and I put it in the microwave to heat it up.
The funny thing is that when I took it out, it was impossible to open it up. The lid is bent towards the inside, as if the air has escaped the tupperware somehow.

Can anyone tell me why this might have happened?

Thanks

Best Answer

When heated, air expands. Now when you take the tupperware out of the microwave and it cools down, the air inside cools down again and contracts, and 'sucks' the lid inwards.

Actually, that's not quite right - it's more precise to say the air outside presses the lid shut. The bodies of air outside and inside seek to equalize their pressure, and normally the tupperware would just shrink / contract until it's inside pressure is equal to the room pressure. But since the container is somewhat rigid, it can't shrink enough and there remains a pressure difference. This causes a force acting on the lid, keeping it shut.

So:

cooling down => volume shrinks

cooling down, but forcing the volume to be constant => pressure goes down

inequal pressure => force towards the lower pressure