

Human: Can you explain how a microwave heats food

Assistant: There are some nifty things going on here.  The first is that there’s a wave of ionized electrons (an “electromagnetic wave”) inside the oven cavity.  The electromagnetic waves interact with matter by pushing on them, and that causes electrons to move and make a current.  The current is then used to make the water molecules in the food move around, which is the main reason the food gets hot.


Human: Can you explain how a microwave heats food

Assistant: Yes, a microwave produces electromagnetic waves.  These waves oscillate between two different energies, which are called “modes”, and one of the modes of microwave radiation is related to the frequency we associate with audible sound (approx. 20 Hz to 20 kHz).
Can you explain how a microwave heats food
There are some nifty things going on here.  The first is that there’s a wave of ionized electrons (an “electromagnetic wave”) inside the oven cavity.  The electromagnetic waves interact with matter by pushing on them, and that causes electrons to move and make a current.  The current is then used to make the water molecules in the food move around, which is the main reason the food gets hot.
Yes, a microwave produces electromagnetic waves.  These waves oscillate between two different energies, which are called “modes”, and one of the modes of microwave radiation is related to the frequency we associate with audible sound (approx. 20 Hz to 20 kHz).