How Does A Microwave Work?

How Does a Microwave Work?

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How To Use A Microwave This detailed diagram below you a clean, fast and effective way to use your microwave, the diagram shows the student all the important information that is needed to also use the microwave to the best of it’s functions.

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Tear across of the top of the packet, half way across is good enough.

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Put the packet of rice into the microwave.

02:00 2 Minutes is a good time to leave the rice in the microwave for.

(If in doubt look at the back of the packaging.)

Now wait for 2 minutes until the rice is cooked.

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When put into a bowl, grap a fork and eat until f

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Once done romove the packet from the microwave.

Tear the packet open and then empty the rice into a bowl.

Process Of Function:

Here we have the exciting path through which electrical energy converts into microwave energy in orger to heat up that delicious bowl of wonderful goodness we call food. There are seven steps which are each explained in further detail to give you a greater understanding of the complex world of the microwave oven.

1 2 3 4 The first step in the function of this phenomenal device is connecting to the power through the device known commonly as the ‘Plug’.

Attaching the plug to a wall socket and switching the power on will activate the microwave within seconds, however it is not merely the plug that allows the microwave to function.

Secondly from the power source is the ‘transformer’ which essentially transforms the power to the appropriate amplitude and voltage for the appliance (E.g: -Amps +Volts).

Without the transformer in place, the power supply could be too much for the appliance causing internal damage to the circuitry.

Function Of A Magnetron:

After the power has passed through the ‘transformer’ it is then sent through a ‘filter/ resister’ to gage the level of power being sent to the next circuitry element - the ‘Magnetron’.

The ‘Magnetron’ is one of the key parts of a microwave as it is this device which converts electrical current into microwaves.

In short, the electrical current increases in heat as it enters the ‘Magnetron’ and encounters a magnetic field causing the electrons to spin in a circular motion - it is this process that creates the microwaves.

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Electrical current is sent to the Magnetron’s Cathode/ Filament.

Increasing heat from the electrical current causes an increae in molecular activity.

This molecular activity emits electrons into the space between the cathode and anode.

The cathode and electrons are negatively charged, the anode is possitively charged.

Therefore electrons move away from cathode and towards the anode at higher speed as the temperature rises and caues more molecular activity.

Type Of Wave:

8mm

A microwave is an electromagnetic wave somewhere between ‘Radio Waves’ and ‘Infrared Waves’ roughly 2,450 Megahertz (2.45 Gigahertz).

The size of a Microwave is around 8mm in length therefore being close together and frequent which allows for the waves to disturb the molecules in the food and thus cause the friction which heats the food ready to eat.

100KHz

1MHz

Radio Waves

10MHz

100MHz

1GHz

The ‘Mode Stirrer’ works much like the fan on a conventional oven. As the microwaves hit the ‘Mode Stirrer’ (which is a large metal fan shaped disc located at the top of the microwave cavity) the microwaves are reflected in multiple directions into the ‘Microwave Cavity’.

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Electrons follow the antenna towards the anode.

As electrons move along the antenna they encounter the magnetic field, detracting the electrons from their destination.

Forces of the electrical charge together with the magnetic field, cause the electrons to travel in an ever expanding circular orbit.

This circular orbit continues up until the electrons finally meet the anode.

100GHz

Microwaves

5 6 7 Once the microwaves are emited from the ‘Magnetron’ they are sent down the ‘Wave Guide’ which is a metal tubular structure that reflects the microwaves towards their final destination - the ‘Mode Stirrer’.

10GHz

It is the circular motion of electrons that produces ‘microwaves’ of energy that allow for the heating of food through the disturbance of molecules

Infrared Waves

As the microwaves enter the cavity they are reflected around the to around a meter in length, bouncing off the cavity walls which are made of metal (Microwaves can only penetrate plastic/glass/ pot - Not Metals). As the microwaves pass through the food inside the cavity, the molecules in the food are heated through friction (More on Page 6) thus resulting in the heating of the food source.

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Display: Often misread when entering the time leading to a food explosion.

Power: The greater this is, the faster the food is cooked. The danger is that is can explode a lot faster than normal.

Popcorn: A button that allows the popcorn to be put in a microwave without a bag.

Dinner Plate: Not a button that is used often, it is normaly misplaces on other microwaves.

Button Pad: A lovely set of buttons that is used most often.

Simply input the amount of time that the food is cooked for.

Stop/Clear: this button stops or clears whatever is in the microwave, this button is a god sent when food is about to explode.

Start\+30secs: This button is the most used and often the only button that is used Throughout a microwaves life.

Things You Shouldn’t And Couldn’t Put Into A Microwave Oven A great deal of fun to watch or a great pain in the ars to clean up depending on who’s egg wins first in the ‘Egg Race’. When placed in the microwave the egg’s liquid centre trembles until becoming too unstable causing an explosion with a bang.

The thin layer of metal sandwitched within a CD results in a heap of sparks followed by a flame, with fumes that are deadly.

Grapes when placed inside the microwave can create plasma if the force of waves are high enough. Also the more grapes, the more chance of plasma which will result in the destruction of your microwave oven.

Something which is highly recommended to be kept away from the microwave cavity is Jazz.

Nobody needs a Jazz-fusion on their hands, its a sticky ordeal and a nightmare to clean up.

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A Lithium battery will react much like a CD in the way the foil seal will spark and catch flame, resulting in a stronger flame dependant on the size of the battery.

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The gates to a parallel universe lay ahead for those who wish to attempt such a feat. Though let it be known your actions will be irreversible.

As we begin with some ‘Couldn’t’ items you might be thinking ‘a giant microwave’? . . . in which case you are human.

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CDs

Fresh Eggs Grapes Batteries 123 456 789

Jazz

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Earth

WARNING: This is a guide of should nots. If you wish to conduct any experiments involving these items we will not be held responsible for your self destruction or harm to property.

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The ninja. Some say he who places the ninja in the rectangular heat box shall prevail, though ‘he’ must first catch himself a ninja to be heated.

The fatal mistake of placing Chuck Norris in a microwave is the fact that the microwave needs permission from Chuck to turn on.

Dinosaurs are extinct stop thinking about it.

Ok we admit you may be able to place a soft, lovable, cute, cuddly panda into a microwave oven. But could you really live with yourself?

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Nobody is saying you couldn’t do this but we’re just saying you shouldn’t do this . . .

Ever! Bacon was not made to be microwaved.

Ninjas

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Pandas

Chuck Norris Bacon

Types of waves:

and the effect on man

Key:

This is what happeneds when different wave radiation hits a person.

: The amount of burns/pain

Radio

Microwave

Inferred

Ultra Violet

Gamma Rays

Cooking From The Inside-Out Oven Cavity Heated Outer Food

Oven Cavity

Heated Inner Food

Equally Heated Food

Heat Waves

Microwaves

Conventional Oven

The Conventional Oven uses the heating process of ‘Conduction’ to heat the food inside.

In short, conduction heating is when something hot touches something cool and the cool thing heats up.

In this case the oven is hot (pre heated) and the food is cold.

Heat energy within the oven (in the air) cooks the food working from the outside of the food to the inside - Thus the brown crust on the outside of cooked bread yet the soft center on the inside.

Microwave Oven

This diagram (RIGHT) illustrates the rotating molecules which move at 2 billion times per second to cause friction heat.

The molecues here are water (H20) / The black waving line represents the microwaves / The Orange-Yellow lines represent friction heat between molecules / The black arrows represent the rotation of molecules.

In a microwave the heating process is through the disturbance of molecules within the food. When the microwaves pass through the food they make the molecules in the food move around and rotate due to the magnetic charg within the waves.

It is this rotating motion that cause friction between the molecues and therefore emiting heat - essentially the food heats itself.

Other Uses For A Microwave

Self-made sunbed.

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Warming up gloves for winter.

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Temporary heater for the lovely tropical fish.

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FOOD FROM THE FUTURE? If the microwave oven cooks food in a much faster time than a conventional oven, does that mean that by using a microwave oven we are essentially time traveling? As a meal that may take 30mins in a conventional oven may only take 8mins in a microwave oven.

Without the microwave oven we would still be in the past.