How does a basic microwave oven work?

How does the microwave oven work? Why does it heat things up and microwave diffraction apparatus doesnt?

  • Answer:

    Mostly the reason is the difference in power generated by the two devices. Microwave ovens generate power on the order of a kilowatt (1000 Watts) whereas the diffraction apparatus generates only a few milliwatts (.010 to .020 Watt) of power. You need at least a few watts of power in order to heat things up. A good comparison is two light bulbs, one rated for 100 Watts such as a typical room lamp and one rated for a couple of Watts like an interior bulb inside a car. The room lamp light bulb gets a lot hotter than a car interior light bulb. The difference is even greater between a mw oven and a mw diffraction apparatus.

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Mostly the reason is the difference in power generated by the two devices. Microwave ovens generate power on the order of a kilowatt (1000 Watts) whereas the diffraction apparatus generates only a few milliwatts (.010 to .020 Watt) of power. You need at least a few watts of power in order to heat things up. A good comparison is two light bulbs, one rated for 100 Watts such as a typical room lamp and one rated for a couple of Watts like an interior bulb inside a car. The room lamp light bulb gets a lot hotter than a car interior light bulb. The difference is even greater between a mw oven and a mw diffraction apparatus.

JohnG

in a microwave oven, a coil of large resistance is strongly heated by passing current generating very high temperature. things kept inside the oven get heated up due to concentration of thermal radiation produced in the coil due to focussing of the radiation. however such arrangement is not there in microwave diffraction apparatus.

knr

Two links below, one explains microwave ovens in simple terms, the other gets a bit more complicated. Enjoy.

John

in a microwave oven, a coil of large resistance is strongly heated by passing current generating very high temperature. things kept inside the oven get heated up due to concentration of thermal radiation produced in the coil due to focussing of the radiation. however such arrangement is not there in microwave diffraction apparatus.

knr

Two links below, one explains microwave ovens in simple terms, the other gets a bit more complicated. Enjoy.

John

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