How Does A Microwave Oven Work? How Hot Does It Get?

Question

How Does A Microwave Oven Work? How Hot Does It Get?

2 Answers

Answer Question

Answer 1

A microwave oven contains a tube called the magnetron tube which converts electricity into high frequency microwaves. Microwaves are a type of electromagnetic energy and occupy a part of the electromagnetic spectrum. They cause food molecules to vibrate rapidly, creating a friction that produces heat and helps in cooking the food.

Food cooked in a microwave oven simply absorbs microwave and turns the energy emitted by these microwaves into thermal energy, which in turn helps cook the food. The cooking chamber of the microwave doesn't get hot so there is almost no heat produced.

So you cannot really say how hot the machine gets. It cooks food with electromagnetic energy and not heat. A microwave cooks with time rather than heat. So the amount of heat supplied is less and same throughout the process. This is why cooking food is better in a microwave oven than in a regular one.

Answer 2

Microwaves are high-frequency radio waves. They are used for the omnidirectional communication and transmission of audio and video signals and data between two points and can only be operated if the line of sight is direct. Signals can be blocked or distorted by obstructions in their paths. A microwave is that part of an electromagnetic spectrum that has a much longer wavelength than infrared radiation. The wavelengths of microwaves are usually above approximately one millimetre.

Microwave is a term generally used to describe electromagnetic radiations which have such wavelengths that are between the wavelengths of infrared radiation and those of radio waves. These wavelengths are short enough to display some of the properties of light. The frequency in case of microwaves ranges between one gigahertz (GHz) and 30 gigahertz (GHz). It is a terrestrial method of transmission of data, audio and visual signals that travels from point to point. Fiber optics has reduced the use of microwave technology to a large extent.