How do Microwaves work?

Question

and how do the dangerous beams stay inside the cooking area

Answer 1

a microwave oven has a little metal box inside of it called a magnetron. The magnetron produces the microwaves that heat your food. And microwaves are really radio waves. A little metal fan inside your microwave breaks up the radio waves and spreads them throughout the oven. Some ricochet off the walls, some hit the food directly.

in the case of microwave ovens, the radio waves have a specific frequency that gives them an interesting property: they are absorbed by water, fats and sugars. Food contains those same molecules that become excited as the radio waves strike them. This excitement turns into heat, which cooks your food.

the metal box reflects the microwaves that keeps them in the microwave though some can escape through the door.

Answer 2

A generator inside the box creates microwaves. Microwaves are part of the electromagnetic spectrum and are shorter than radio waves but longer than infrared and visible light. Microwaves at certain frequencies excite water molecules inside the food causing them to rotate, this creates friction and heats the food.

The microwaves cannot pass through the solid metal walls of the microwave. They are also longer than the small holes in the metal grate on the window of the microwave and so cannot pass through there either.

Answer 3

Microwaves can't penetrate metal (assuming zero loss)...

Now, what about the door with the little holes?

These holes pass visible light, but attenuate microwaves. The reason why is that the holes are much smaller than the wavelength of microwave radiation. Because of this, the holes do not support propagating modes (only attenuating modes)... The basic physics behind this is described by maxwell's equations...

Answer 4

Specifically, the microwave frequency generated in your little microwave oven is tuned to the rotational energy of H2O. These water molecules begin to rotate faster creating friction and heat. This is what cooks the food.

Answer 5

There are no heating elements in a microwave. Food is cooked due to micorwaves. Food particiles vibrate due to microwaves which in turn produces heat.

Answer 6

Real well. In fact, I just took my breakfast out of one.

The beams stay inside because, if they come outside, the FCC will punish them.


Doug

Answer 7

little pixies sit on the inside of the oven firing tiny little laser guns at the food till its hot
the beams stay inside because there really really aims

Answer 8

radio frequencies excite the water molecules causing heat, therefore cooking whatever is getting hot

Answer 9

"micro" "waves" .... that funky looking design on the door that looks like a bunch of dots is actually there for a reason .. its a shield to keep the waves inside the box...

Answer 10

They "werr" for a while then go ping. Hope this helps.