How Do Microwave
Ovens Work?
These
handy kitchen appliances are actually packed with interesting science and
physics.
By Trevor
English
Interesting
Engineering
Microwaves are a very useful cooking device.
They're compact, tiny, but incredibly versatile machines – so how do they work?
There's an incredible amount of science and
engineering behind microwaves, but it can all be broken down into easy to
understand and digest bits.
Microwave ovens mainly function by
generating microwave radiation - which is passed through the food, cooking it.
Microwaves aren't specific to microwave
ovens, rather they are a form of electromagnetic waves with a wavelength in the
frequency range of between 300 MHz and 300 GHz (a wavelength of around 1 m and
1 mm).
Microwave ovens generally use a frequency
of 2450 MHz (a wavelength of 12.24 cm).
When compared to other types of radiation,
microwaves fall between radio waves, which tend to be longer, and infrared
waves, which are shorter.
What makes microwaves so specialized for
cooking is just how they interact with water molecules.
The
science behind microwaves
Inside microwave ovens, the microwaves are
created using a device called a magnetron.
At their core, magnetrons are high-voltage
motors that output energy in the form of microwaves rather than mechanical
work.
Inside the microwave oven, a transformer
steps up electricity from the wall socket, 120V in the US, or 110V in Europe,
to around 4000 volts.
This increased voltage is needed to power
the magnetron, causing a filament to heat up at the core of the device.
As this filament heats up, electrons are
released.
The microwave oven puts these electrons to
work.
A circular magnet is located near the
heated filament.
Normally, the electrons that are released
by the filament would become attracted to the anode, but because of the
positioning of the magnet, the electrons loop back to the filament itself.
This looping of electrons is what actually
creates microwaves.
All of that may have sounded a little bit
complex, and it can be when explained without diagrams.
For a deeper dive into the understanding of
how magnetrons and, ultimately, microwaves work, take a look at the video
below.
Are
you safe to stand next to a microwave?
One popular myth about microwaves is that
they can give you cancer.
This may stem from the use of the word
'radiation' in describing how they work, as well as a fear that this microwave
radiation can leak out of the microwave.
Radiation, in this case, refers to energy
that radiates from a source, and not to radioactivity.
However, microwaves do not contain enough
energy to chemically change substances through ionization - they are an example
of non-ionizing radiation.
Other types of electromagnetic waves such
as ultraviolet and x-rays possess more energy per photon and thus can cause
cancer.
Microwaves can, of course, cause heating
and burns, but microwave ovens are all designed with a metal mesh on the door
of the appliance to keep the microwaves from leaking out.
These metal meshes are large enough for you
to see your food cooking, but the holes aren't large enough for the microwaves
to slip through.
Microwave ovens also have built-in safety
devices that do not allow the oven to work while the door is open.
So, at the end of the day, you won't get
cancer from standing too close to a microwave because the rays aren't ionizing,
and you won't get cooked either.
We've gotten through the basic science, but
we still haven't covered why exactly microwaves work so well to heat food
quickly.
How
microwaves heat up water molecules
The microwaves used in a microwave oven are
sent out through a type of antenna that channels them into the cooking area of
the appliance.
The waves are contained inside of the
appliance thanks to the solid metal walls (and mesh door).
These microwaves are then absorbed by the
water molecules inside of the food.
The energy from the microwaves causes the
water molecules to vibrate rapidly, which heats the food.
In essence, because water molecules easily
absorb microwaves, which cause the molecules to start vibrating rapidly, this
becomes a mechanism to turn microwave energy into thermal energy.
Just like a cam and roller is a mechanical
device for converting rotational energy into linear motion, so too are the
interactions of microwaves and water molecules a way of converting microwave
energy into heat energy.
But why are just the water molecules
vibrating?
Water molecules are polar, meaning they
have a positively charged side and a negatively charged side.
Microwaves have a positive crest and a
negative crest, just like any wave does.
As the microwaves move throughout the
inside of the microwave oven, the water molecules will try to align their poles
with that of the microwave.
Since microwaves move about rapidly inside
of the appliance, the water molecules rapidly try to keep aligning themselves
with the motion of the waves.
Just how fast is this happening?
Microwaves' positive and negative fields
are moving at roughly 2.5 billion times per second.
When you combine this effect with the water
molecule's reaction, you can start to realize how microwaves cook food so fast
and effectively.
Why
do microwaves cook unevenly?
The last question we need to answer is why
there are often dead spots on the inside of microwave ovens.
For example, why is the center of your food
often much colder than the edges?
This occurs because some of the microwaves
end up canceling each other out.
Oftentimes, these places of cancelation are
localized, meaning some areas of the microwave oven don't get any
"heat".
In essence, when the peak of one wave hits the valley of another wave,
the result is a canceled-out wave. This is why most microwaves use a rotating
dish in order to ensure even cooking.
So, that's how microwave ovens work.
They are appliances that use magnets to
produce electromagnetic radiation at a particular wavelength, which is directed
at water molecules in food, causing them
to vibrate and heat up rapidly.
Next time you cook something in a microwave, you won't look at it the same way.
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