Ask HN: How does a microwave work?

4 points by manx 7y ago ↗ HN

Does anyone know of a good (visual) explanation of how it actually works? I'm not satisfied with the Wikipedia explanation.

Is the heated food different (healthiness) from heating it with a regular oven? Is there robust scientific evidence?

5 comments

[ 4.4 ms ] story [ 22.9 ms ] thread

[dead] JeremiahMN 7y ago ↗

http://bfy.tw/Jwqg

dang 7y ago ↗

Please don't do this here.

[dead] JeremiahMN 7y ago ↗

But it's ok to ask stupid questions that could have just been googled? That makes lots of sense!

tobylane 7y ago ↗

The healthiness of the water being heated by microwaves is unaffected, some of it is simply steam. The healthiness of the food being heated by the air in an oven is largely unaffected (singeing and bioavailability aside). The main difference is that the food will be cooked (tender) in a microwave without reaching a vitamin-destroying temperature that ovens are used at.

Can you be specific what you're missing out on/coming from, is it non-ionising radiation?

kleer001 7y ago ↗

Only the water is heated up because they frequency of the energy coming from the inside is 2,450 MHz. How? Torque. The light rubs the water molecules.

The science is rock solid. It's completely safe.

Here's some math:

http://www1.lsbu.ac.uk/water/microwave_water.html