The microwave oven is one of the most useful appliances in the modern kitchen. It’s fast, it heats food evenly, and if you’re careful about what you put into it, it kills viruses and bacteria that could make you sick.
Microwaves are electromagnetic waves that have a shorter wavelength than radio waves and infrared radiation. They can be generated from man-made sources such as microwave ovens, masers, and circuits. The natural cosmic microwave background radiation is also a source of microwaves that scientists study to help them understand the Big Bang.
The online etymology dictionary says the first usage of the term “microwave” was in 1931. That’s a bit earlier than the invention of the magnetron, which is generally credited to two British scientists in 1920.
Magnetrons convert electricity into microwaves by a process called saturation of metals, meaning that the magnetic field around them becomes saturated with electrons. They emit microwaves as the electrons move at very high speeds, so the frequency of the waves is very high.
In addition to reheating leftovers, microwaves can cook and defrost foods, as well as sterilize utensils and cleaning cloths. They consume little energy compared to traditional stoves, and they don’t produce smoke that can cause burns. The downside is that they may not be as good at killing germs, and they can give off radiation. However, research has shown that the low levels of radiation emitted by microwaves do not have any harmful effects on people.
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