Do Your $20 Bills Explode In the Microwave? 1165
msaulters writes "After repeatedly setting off RFID scanners in a truck stop, the author discovered the culprit was a wad of $20's in his back pocket. In a paranoid attempt to keep the government from tracking him, he attempted to fry the embedded chips in his microwave, with interesting results." Alex Jones has interesting theories about a number of things, but evidently a lot of readers were interested in this one.
I'm skeptical. (Score:5, Informative)
Second, these magnetic antitheft systems are capable of being set off by odd things, such as items of personal electronics or odd bits of metal. (Heck, I even remember seeing one recent news story about a kid who sets off those scanners just by walking through them without anything in his pockets at all, just because his body happens to generate the precise frequency of electromagnetic energy they're keyed to.)
Third, RFID tag or not, those new bills do happen to have a strip of metal foil running through them, right at about the point of Jefferson's left eye...to make counterfeiting harder, you see. And when you subject metallic material to microwave energy, it heats up quickly...that's just basic physics.
So I'm willing to believe that the bills set off ordinary electromagnetic anti-theft detectors just by reflecting the microwaves in some funky way. (Or heck, maybe they even are magnetized in a way that anti-theft detectors can pick up...or at least can become so magnetized, since I doubt that they're all that way...if everybody shopping with new twenties was setting off anti-theft systems, we'd be hearing about that on the news, and the anti-theft system manufacturers would be making hasty adjustments or going out of business.) I'm even willing to believe that those foil strips will cause the money to scorch in the microwave. But it's one heck of a leap to conclude that this is because of Evil RFID Tags That The Nasty Gum'mint Is Sneaking Into Our Money.
Re:I'm skeptical. (Score:-1, Informative)
It's an RFID thing, and swiping it over a big electromagnet kills it.
Re:The artical's main point (Score:4, Informative)
Re:illegal? (Score:5, Informative)
The only thing that would be against the law is defacing currency and attempting to use it in commerce. So we learned in Business Law.
two words (Score:5, Informative)
Re:They've gotten to my eggs too (Score:1, Informative)
Re:illegal? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:illegal? (Score:5, Informative)
I once worked at a cutlery corporation where they demonstrated scissors by cutting up coins. and they told us its legal, so if the company gets fried for that, not my fault.
Re:I'm skeptical. (Score:5, Informative)
Jackson. Jefferson is on the two dollar bill.
No tin foil hats here (Score:4, Informative)
Re:I'm skeptical. (Score:5, Informative)
Actually, the tags work passively (not requiring onboard battery) because inductors and capacitors can be printed on foil/similar materials, so a LC (or RLC) circuit can be designed to resonate at whatever frequency the antitheft system uses. When this resonant circuit passes between the detection gates (a receiver and transmitter), it resonates, causing a change in the received signal intensity at the gate (the circuit is now picking up energy originally flowing to the transmitter). Small electronics could set it off if some random connected inductor and capacitor on the circuit board form a resonant circuit - clothes or someones body could conceivably do this as well. The magnetic pulse in the store either permanently breaks the circuit (used in stores, etc) or bends a foil-type contact open (used in libraries so they can bend the contact shut again to activate the tag when the book is returned).
Complete bullshit (Score:2, Informative)
First of all, if there is an RFID tag in a $20 bill (and I doubt it, given the state of the technology), nobody has RFID tag readers in retail stores. In fact, so far as I know, nobody even has such equipment on the market. Store security systems are a completely different system.
There's no reason to even consider a second point.
This is complete, utter bullshit.
Re:Magnetics (Score:2, Informative)
Other methods include conductivity testing and optical and flourescent recognition.
This link describes some of the methods that modern bill readers may use to authenticate paper money:
http://money.howstuffworks.com/question269.htm
-Crolis
Re:Who the fuckity fuck (Score:5, Informative)
Remember most long distance truckers are on the road for a week at a time. This includes tolls, fuel, food, etc. I did a rough calculation a trip from Ontario to New York and back cost about $500 out of pocket. And lots of truckers transport fruit from California.
HOAX, HOAX, HOAX (Score:4, Informative)
The actual law on mutilation (Score:5, Informative)
US Code Title 18, Part I, Chapter 17
Section 331
Whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes, falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined at the mints of the United States, or any foreign coins which are by law made current or are in actual use or circulation as money within the United States; or
Whoever fraudulently possesses, passes, utters, publishes, or sells, or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or brings into the United States, any such coin, knowing the same to be altered, defaced, mutilated, impaired, diminished, falsified, scaled, or lightened -
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both
Section 333
Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.
Re:That's solid logic... (Score:5, Informative)
Amazing thing, this Google. I just did 'British slang "fair cop" ' and hit "I'm feeling Lucky!" (because I was), and there you have it. Fair cop, eh wot?
It'll be a shame when SCO sues Google out of business...
What pennies are really made out of... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:illegal? (Score:4, Informative)
For the record...It is illegal. (Score:1, Informative)
Defacement of currency is a violation of Title 18, Section 333 of the United States Code. Under this provision, currency defacement is generally defined as follows: Whoever mutilates, cuts, disfigures, perforates, unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, Federal Reserve Bank, or Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such item(s) unfit to be reissued, shall be fined not more than $100 or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.
I just tried this. It's bullshit. (Score:4, Informative)
Feeling with fingernails over Jackson's eyes yields no bump, either.
I get a feeling that IHBT. IWHAND.
Re:No money lost (Score:5, Informative)
Re:illegal? (Score:3, Informative)
Yes they do (Score:3, Informative)
Yes, they do. You can even buy uncut sheets of them from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. I'm sure they're not as actively circulated nowadays, but they're definitely still printed. See the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing [moneyfactory.com] website for more info.
Re:illegal? (Score:4, Informative)
It was brought back into circulation in 1976, and has at least one other printing since then. They're even less popular/used than the $1 coin, so it's not surprising that you think that they're relics of the past instead of mundane, valid currency.
A picture for your pleasure [moneyfactory.com]
Re:Not a real surprise (Score:2, Informative)
alternate explanation (Score:4, Informative)
This guy seems to be closest to the target, I think. The reason ants don't fry is that the majority of the microwaves 'miss' them. The ant is smaller than the microwave wavelength (which varies between 10^-1 and 10^-4 meters), and so can miss the crests, so to speak, and avoid frying.
I think it fried all of the bills in the same spot because all of the bills had similar orientation and position, and Jackson's eye was right over a spot of peak intensity. Microwaves don't cook evenly; that's all he's demonstrated.
Re:illegal? (Score:4, Informative)
Microwaving money for fun and profit (Score:3, Informative)
Re:I'm skeptical. (Score:1, Informative)
FYI (Score:3, Informative)
The issue is when there is not a sufficient quantity of water (food, glass of water, etc) to absorb the microwaves; they will collide, cause sparks, etc. The metal will resonate and eventually heat up.
Cover your food with aluminum foil and you get sparks. Leave a spoon lying on the plate next to a helping of food and you've got no problem. You just need a sufficient quantity of water inside the chamber to absorb the radiation.
Re:illegal? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:I'm skeptical. (Score:3, Informative)
Never been to a truck stop in the past 20 years, eh? They have really nice WiFi, and even in the 80s had systems set up with modems that you could BBS off of. In the early 90s, they had internet kiosks. You can buy Palm PDAs, portable printers and hand fax units at Flying J, a common chain.
Truckers have to basically be a connected office on the road. They tend toward the leading edge of technology. You've heard the term "road warrior" in relation to on-the-road office workers? Truckers take their office with them. Truck stops service those offices. Long haul truckers use satellite connections and spreadsheets.
--
Evan
Printing process is the culprit here... (Score:5, Informative)
The effective result of using this printing method can be felt on the bill. On a new bill the ink will be coarse and raised off of the paper. The lines will be very crisp and solid. There will be no 'breaks' even microscopic in the ink.
Since it's slightly conductive (it has some metals in it and whatnot) and the lines (and crosshatching etc) are pretty well continuous it's going to be an excellent absorber of microwave energy. Without anything else in the microwave to absorb the energy better than the money, it's likely the ink near the portrait is going to get really hot really fast. This is pretty much what I'd expect from microwaving money.
All that being said, the RFID equipment or the security equipment that this money was falsely triggering must be some of the cheapest crap on the market!
man, how dumb can one get? (Score:5, Informative)
put any old piece of paper (or more fun, a plate of marshmallows) into a microwave that doesn't have a working turntable. you'll get a pattern of burn marks. you can even measure the distance between them to calculate the wavelength of the microwaves if you want to. basic physics.
this isn't even a *good* conspiracy theory.
Re:Somebody (Score:5, Informative)
Kinda, but not quite.
Sparks on metal objects is caused by uneven voltage developed on the surface of the object because of an uneven surface, uneven radiation pattern, or both.
Because microwaves are such high frequency and the wattages of most ovens is high (most are around 1 kilowatt), high voltages are easily developed and can leap short distances.
Once the spark leaps once, it ionizes the air along the path making subsequent arcs occur at lower voltage.
Once current flows, as in an arc of this type, the metal will heat up very rapidly and could easily burn paper. I suspect uneven radiation (or even minute flaws) of the metal strips in the bills caused arcing between them, which burned through the paper.
There's normally no insulation in the microwave cavity of the oven because the goal is to reflect the microwaves off ground (the metal surfaces surrounding the cavity) until they can be absorbed by water molecules, causing them to heat up, thus cooking the food.
This is why you are normally advised not to run the microwave oven with nothing in it: the microwaves can bounce around the oven and manage to heat the magnetron instead, causing it to burn out spectacularly.
Re:The actual law on mutilation (Score:3, Informative)
RSA RFID Blocker Tag (Score:5, Informative)
The paper describes fancier options, such as only impersonating numbers in some given range so that it only blocks reading some kinds of items, like the serial numbers on 100 Euro banknotes.
Re:The actual law on mutilation (Score:3, Informative)
Christ, everyone is a damned contrarian.
April 1st already? (Score:2, Informative)
Nope, you're wrong. (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.federalreserve.gov/faq.htm
Who owns the Federal Reserve?
The Federal Reserve System is not "owned" by anyone and is not a private, profit-making institution. Instead, it is an independent entity within the government, having both public purposes and private aspects.
Re:I'm skeptical. (Score:4, Informative)
This should clear it up for you [howstuffworks.com]
Re:illegal? (Score:5, Informative)
It is against the law. Men with earpieces and black suits could come knocking.
Defacement of currency is a violation of Title 18, Section 333 of the United States Code. This comes under the jurisdiction of the United States Secret Service.
Here's the relevant bit [house.gov] of the US Code:
Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note,or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.
No RFID in Euros (Score:5, Informative)
Uncle Sam Wants You to Destroy Money! (Score:5, Informative)
You know, all of those State Quarters that people collect with fervor are almost pure profit for the mint. I mean, it's like the mint has a license to print money!!!!
Re:illegal? (Score:5, Informative)
Sorry to rain on their parade... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:We pay interest on all money in circulation. (Score:4, Informative)
You are correct that our currency is not backed by precious metals, and is only worth whatever someone will give you for it. However, gold is only worth what someone will give you for it as well, but fiat currency has the advantage that the government can control the total supply of money, and thus limit inflation.
Will someone please mod the parent post back down? Maybe, "-1, Skipped Economics Class?"
Federal Reserve is not a private institution (Score:5, Informative)
Who owns the Federal Reserve?
The Federal Reserve System is not "owned" by anyone and is not a private, profit-making institution. Instead, it is an independent entity within the government, having both public purposes and private aspects.
Re:Complete bullshit (Score:5, Informative)
What makes me wonder is how 'complete bullshit' gets modded up...
There are $10,000 bills, too (Score:4, Informative)
Re:illegal? (Score:3, Informative)
US Code, Title 18, Section 331: [house.gov] Mutilation, diminution, and falsification of coins
Whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes, falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined at the mints of the United States, or any foreign coins which are by law made current or are in actual use or circulation as money within the United States; or
Whoever fraudulently possesses, passes, utters, publishes, or sells, or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or brings into the United States, any such coin, knowing the same to be altered, defaced, mutilated, impaired, diminished, falsified, scaled, or lightened -
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
There's a ton of great things [house.gov] in the US Code if you know where to look. [house.gov]
Re:illegal? (Score:5, Informative)
Dang, they've thought of EVERYTHING.
US Code, Title 18 Sec. 484. [house.gov] Connecting parts of different notes
Whoever so places or connects together different parts of two or more notes, bills, or other genuine instruments issued under the authority of the United States, or by any foreign government, or corporation, as to produce one instrument, with intent to defraud, shall be guilty of forgery in the same manner as if the parts so put together were falsely made or forged, and shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.
Re:illegal? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:I'm skeptical. (Score:4, Informative)
Jonah Hex
Re:Better control experiment... (Score:1, Informative)
It has happened to me, and when it did, that was the first thing the security guy suggested; he said it was very common.
Re:HOAX, HOAX, HOAX (Score:4, Informative)
No. Try putting a STACK of 20's in the microwave. Or even a stack of newspaper for that matter. A single bill is thin and any heat gets carried away rapidly by air currents and/or infra-red radiation. A solid block of paper will build up heat in the center and then work it's way outward. You'll get the exact same effect he got - bills from the center will have big fat holes and bills at the top and bottom will hardly be charred.
BTW, I don't think it's accurate to call it a hoax. If you look at other stuff by this guy it's clear he's a genuine fruitloop and probably believes all his paranoid nonsense.
-
convenience store fun (Score:5, Informative)
i have, however, seen paper napkins burn and look like this when left in the microwave for a rather long time---say, several minutes. usually this happens when drunk people heat something and forget to turn off the microwave (when not using the timer). since wood pulp napkins would mostly be cellulose, and U.S. paper currency is made from a special blend of cotton (about 90% cellulose) and linen (about 70% cellulose, i think), then i would expect any bill to burn similarly if microwaved long enough.
oh---another fun thing to microwave is halogen bulbs. just about one second and they glow brighter than when they're plugged in.
They arent new notes... (Score:4, Informative)
Funniest Ellen Feiss post, EVER (Score:0, Informative)
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=45779
Foil wrap (Score:3, Informative)
Re:I'm skeptical. (Score:3, Informative)
It's only quasi informative as the link apparently contains outdated information.
2003 printings exist, at least in sheet form [moneyfactory.com]
Re:'Quotes' (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Most unhelpful helpful post ever. (Score:3, Informative)
Besides, I figured no one except Swedes would be interested in the specifics anyway.
Re:'Quotes' (Score:2, Informative)
What an idiot... (Score:4, Informative)
It's not RFID (Score:3, Informative)
Though I would add that this is a good one for Mythbusters!!!
Re:They've gotten to my eggs too (Score:1, Informative)
Actually it is not possible to place RFID tags into currency at this moment. No, not due to technology restriction but compliance. The ISO standard for currency states that all currency must not exceed a particular thickness (AFAIR its 1/8 inch). Currently no RFID tag is thin enough to meet this requirement.
Re:It's not RFID (Score:3, Informative)
I watched a few episodes and frequently just laugh at their attempts at the scientific method.
Since I'll get asked what I mean, here's an example:
The ice bullet test: they didn't even attempt to check different freeze rates. The less time water takes to solidify (turn to ice), the shorter the ice crystals are and the weaker the ice. When the show hosts made their ice by dunking the mold in liquid nitrogen, they made just about the weakest ice they could, not much stronger than packed snow.
They should have frozen the water at just below freezing point so it took hours to complete the process, then dunked the solid ice bullets in to the nitrogen so they would survive the gun blast. The resulting ice bullet would have been quite strong and probably performed admirably in their firing test.
Re:They've gotten to my eggs too (Score:5, Informative)
all serial numbers are logged to each bank (as they are)
Serial numbers on cash are only logged by the Federal Reserve when shipping an order of new currency to a bank. It would be extrordinarily difficult for a bank to record the serial numbers on incoming deposits. Especially business deposits, which are normally shipped via amoured courier directly to a processing center. These deposits can have anywhere from 1 - 25000 bills.
The deposits are counted by large Toshiba currency sorters (Toshiba [toshiba.co.jp]
Most banks are more worried about the volume of counted bills rather than capturing the serial number off the bill... It would simply take too long.
How to replicate this effect. (Score:4, Informative)
Get a stack of small sheets of paper (helps if they're slightly absorbant, blotting paper is ideal) and place a small drop of water on one, ensure that is it soaked up by the paper. Put the piece witht he wet spot somewhere near the middle of the stack and leave for a while (let the water soak into the adjacent sheets). With the paper still in the stack put it in a microwave oven and heat on full power for 30 seconds. Depending on the amount of water you put on the initial sheet you might see the paper catch fire in the oven and explode or when you get the stack out you might see a scorch mark on the sheet you put the water on and the sheets either side of it. Very much like the photographs of the $20 bills in the article.
Metal reflects microwaves, water is heated by microwaves. Seeing a burned spot demonstrates the presence of water, not an RFID chip. Microwaves destroy RFID chips much like static electricity destroys CMOS chips, the electric field generated (several thousand volts but tiny amounts of current over very short amouints of time) destroys the P-N junctions. The heating effect is negligable.
I've seen similar effects wiping magnetic tapes in a domestic microwave.
I can only assume that the affected spot on the writer's $20 bills had gotten damp (maybe there's something about the way the bills are made that makes that spot more absorbant).
Stephen
Check for a security tag in your wallet. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:They've gotten to my eggs too (Score:3, Informative)
That's called a 1 bit transponder in some of the RFID literature. So, yes, it is an RFID system. Here's a nice reference at amazon. You can search within the text for "1 bit transponder" if you like.
RFID Book [tinyurl.com]
And here's a nice quote from page 1 of the book: '... vast numbers of 1 bit transponders are used in Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) to protect goods in shops and businesses. If someone attempts to leave the shop with goods that have have not been paid for the reader installed in the exit recognises the state "transponder in the field" and initiates the appropriate reaction.'
Many of these systems operate by sensing the presence of multiple leaves of magnetic material, much like you would get from stack of the new 20s. So it's all that unlikely. One of the failings of the systems is that occasionally, non-nefarious objects resonate in the sensor field and false-trigger it. Coils of wire set off some of the systems; a close arrangement of magnetizable material sets off others.
Re:Haha (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Haha (Score:1, Informative)
His sig was a joke, get it?
Re:They've gotten to my eggs too (Score:2, Informative)
There is a link at the end of that darwin awards story that says that it was a hoax.
Walmart and RFID (Score:1, Informative)
I thought Walmart was pushing for all of their distributers to use RFID tags on each pallet or case of products, not every individual product...yet.
Just trying to point out this guy's exaggerated conspiracy theories and inaccurate information.
Re:Haha (Score:5, Informative)
STOP.
Correct. Microwaves are nonionizing.
Correct. The only damage you will take is in the form of localized heating of your body parts.
Incorrect. There is a risk. There are no nerve endings in many places that are highly susceptible to heat damage - places like your brain, the vitreous humor in your eyeballs, and internal organs. If there's a warped/open door, or if you've gone one step further and defeated the safety interlock to power up a magnetron externally, you could be (relatively) safe in location X,Y,Z, but six inches next to X,Y,Z, the big reflecting metal plate of your fridge, your stovetop, and the hole in the homebrew shielding you created have created a local "hot spot" node where localized heating is much more rapid.
Play with a magnetron if you like, but be aware that by the time you feel warmth, it may already be too late.
(As long as the door is intact, as long as the safety interlocks are intact, and as long as you're not afraid of damaging the oven and/or are prepared with a Class C extinguisher to deal with a small fire that manages to escape the confines of the oven, there's relatively low risk. I'd consider the "fry a $20 bill" and "spark a CD" experiments safe, but your mileage may vary.)
Re:put down the crackpipe (Score:3, Informative)
Defacement of currency in such a way that it is made unfit for circulation comes under the jurisdiction of the United States Secret Service."
I would say they didn't intend to render such item(s) unfit to be reissued....
Re:That's solid logic... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:'Quotes' (Score:4, Informative)
Not true. Your college station may have been operating illegally, but all US stations, commercial or not, are required to maintain EAS equipment, monitor two other stations (unless they're one of the primary entry points), keep logs of tests, and participate in required monthly and weekly tests. Weekly tests must be forwarded within 1 hour, monthly tests must be regenerated within 1 hour (this is an expansion of the 15-minute rule - got passed last year). All stations are required to broadcast EAN alerts immediately (though, they do give you about one minute leeway). EAN, incidentally, has never been activated. That's the one where the President gets on the line and tells everyone to stick their heads between their knees.
Flipping off your transmitter will get you in trouble, and so will not rebroadcasting EAS alerts and tests... And both will be picked up not just by your listeners, but by the stations that are monitoring *your* station as one of their required 2. They'll report that you didn't forward if the FCC asks them, and when the inspector comes around to look at your logs of transmitted EAS tests and you have nothing to show, he'll walk out with your license. And most of your equipment.
-T
Re:They've gotten to my eggs too (Score:3, Informative)
Spelling well is a courtesy to others. It does you no end of good in your personal and professional life to be able to express your thoughts clearly using the conventions of written language that are implicitly and unambiguously understood by your audience, be it a college tutor, a manager, a girlfriend, or a bunch of strangers who you're trying to communicate with through an online discussion board. If you feel you have a problem with spelling, there's a simple way to get better at it: Read more.
And not just stuff you find online - read edited material. Books, newspapers, stuff that's been subjected to scrutiny by people who care about the conventions of spelling, grammar and punctuation. It'll help, trust me. And it'll do you a lot more good than just having a chip on your shoulder about all those jerks who keep complaining about your spelling.
No Warm Haha: Coagulation (Score:2, Informative)
Microwaves are used medically for simultaneous cautery and coagulation during surgery.
(See http://www.ajronline.org/cgi/content/abstract/171
Medical microwave scalpels have 50-100W of output power, and are directed at specific tissues. Your 1200W GE Profile version is a bit "hotter" and a lot more random.
And random coagulation is bad (google thrombosis).
The real reason the money blew up... metal strip (Score:2, Informative)
Holding the twenty up to a light with Jackson facing me, I can clearly see the strip just to the left of the zero on the left side. I checked an older "new" twenty and it's there and a new, new twenty and it's also there.
I'm not quite sure why this would cause Jackson's right eye to blow up, but it makes more sense than the RFID transmittor in every twenty.