So, sipping my overtly sugary Starbucks-in-a-bottle (which is thoroughly delicious), an idea struck me. Once I had retrieved an ice pack and applied it to the bruised area, I picked up the idea and gave it a look. It was a bit oddly shaped, with some funny bits sticking out, which accounted for the force by which it impacted my thought processes. Its unusual shape meant that it was for solving a problem that could be done via less-involved methods, but it had such an interesting form, one that was, at least in my opinion, cool enough to warrant a second look.
Coffee is delicious when hot. Coffee is terrible when cold. No one likes to get up to stick their mug in the microwave, because this necessitates moving around and also yields superheated ceramic far too often (and even once is too much). Finally, a thermos just isn't a coffee mug, it does not bring the same visceral feel as sipping, having the smell gently waft upwards as you consume your caffeinated beverage.So how to solve this terribly difficult problem? I present to thee, the Induction Coil Coffee Mug.Step 1) Embed an induction coil into the coffee mug. This is not difficult - a coffee mug is already cylindrical with thick walls - perfect for suck a thing.]Step 2) Stir with a metal spoon. When a metal object is inserted into the mug, this alters the electromagnetic field, which is then detected by the mug. This turns on the induction coil, which heats the spoon, and stays active as long as the spoon or spoon-like object is in motion. Therefore, the longer you stir it, the hotter your coffee gets, allowing you to reach the perfect temperature!Step 3) ???Step 4) Profit!Science!Also, here's an induction coil levitating and melting aluminum:
:S
Response to: Did I say something wrong?
On the subject of the Self heating Mug/Cup/Thermos/ThingimajiggerI'm not terribly knowledgeable about this sort of stuff myself, but I asked a friend about this and he said the spoon would have to be magnetic to create the induction.
@Flak3r - +1 for a good question. Usually, when someone says magnetism, they mean ferromagnetism, because they confuse magnetism with magnets. All 'magnets' are ferromagnetic, but there also exists paramagnetism, diamagnetism, and magnetic superconduction. Effectively, all baryonic matter falls under one of these categories although like any fun science there are strange cases (such as Chromium below). Induction furnaces work on ferromagnetic and paramagnetic materials, in which the vast majority of metals fall under.
Periodic table of magnetism types: