Physics of Microwaves

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Physics of Microwaves

Microwaves are used in our everyday lives but most most people don't realize that physics plays a large and important part in the simple household item. Whenever we heat our food we are oblivious to the forces that cause such a thing to occur and we don't fully understand what happens in front of our eyes and how our food really gets heated in such a simple and efficient way.

The first thing people need to understand is that microwaves are actually electromagnetic waves. Wavelengths and frequencies range from 300 MHz up to 300 GHz but, the average microwaves at home or restaurants operate at frequencies of about 2.45 GHz. Microwaves consist of a waveguide, magnetron, fan, power supply and a turntable with the base plate. These items help create the magical ability to heat our food and each have a different purpose. Magnetrons are the ones that create the waves and feeds the waveguide into the cooking chamber. Most microwaves are created in a cuboid shape and creates a chamber where it has metallic walls and so it acts like a Faraday cage which is an enclosure created by conducting material. Metal grids also cover the front door, which is made of glass, and the the light bulb cavity. Rotating turntables are also found in almost all microwaves and this helps them ensure that the food is all evenly heated.

To achieve the best possible way to heat up your meals, the microwave does not use solid state devices. Instead, electron beams from tubes under the combined effect of the electric and magnetic fields that are made to curve and follow trajectories. Magnetrons are also mostly used in microwave ovens and it has changed everything. In 1921 it was first discovered and put into use and as the years continue...

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...owaves actually reflect off of the metal. This can be especially bad if you have a metal container, with that the food won't be able to heat up because the metal is reflecting all the microwaves and leaving the food cold. The bigger issue with this is that there is a possibility that the microwaves can be knocked back to the magnetron which can lead to permanent damage to it.

With some downsides to using a microwave there aren't any drastic ones that will lead you to stop using it. The microwave has become a staple for every American home and it allows people to feed their family on a daily basis and all thanks to physics it helps feed over millions of people in the United States. Now that you have gained all this knowledge maybe you will hopefully enjoy physics more and think about how it affects your microwave every time you decide heat your cold pizza up.

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