Bill Nye How Do Microwaves Work

electrons flowing at any moment is
somewhat smaller than in your house

wiring.
These flowing electrons are directed into a

small metal wire that acts very much like a
tiny antenna. Around the wire is a metal
Dear Bill,
ring. The wire and the ring are connected to
the same electric circuit, so there's an
How does a microwave oven work? Why
electric field between them. It's like a force
does the food get hot, but not the air
field in a science-fiction movie, only real.
around it?
Another example is lightning, which jumps
to Earth under the influence of an "electric
-- Microwavin' Maven
force field."
Dear Maven,
Microwaves affect molecules that have

slight differences in their electric properties
from one side of the molecule to the other.
Water is just such a molecule. Microwaves
cause liquid water molecules to rub against Electrons would be forced to
one another and heat up. So your microwave zip out straight from the wire to the ring,
oven is able to heat food by causing the following paths like the spokes of a wagon
water molecules in the food to rub against wheel. But they don't, because the whole
each other. When the water molecules are a assembly is packed between two strong
gas (when they're water vapor) they're too magnets. The magnets set up another type of
far apart to rub against each other to heat up field--a magnetic field. Now, a fundamental
much--that's why the air stays relatively feature of the universe makes electrons
cool. create magnetic fields of their own, when
they're in motion.
You may know from experience that one

magnet can push or pull on another magnet--
the same goes for magnetic fields. Under the
influence of the electric and magnetic fields,
instead of going straight, the electrons take
curved paths. When the wire, the ring, the
How microwaves work voltage, and magnetic fields are configured
Microwave ovens use two invisible force just right, the whole assembly becomes a
fields working across one another to convert miniature broadcasting antenna, and it
the flow of electrons in wires--electricity-- radiates microwaves.
into the flow of electromagnetic waves
through air--microwaves. A circuit in the These assemblies, which can fit in the palm
oven stores electricity in such a way that its of your hand, are called magnetrons. They
voltage gets much higher than it is in your are often called cross-field devices, because
house's wiring, while the number of they use an electrical field that crosses a
magnetic field. One very good way to think motion becomes heat. Liquid water is just
of electromagnetic energy is as a wave or set such a substance. It's H2O, and its molecules
of waves zooming through empty space or are almost lined up: H-O-H. But, although
the low-density spaces between and within they're symmetrical, the molecules are bent
molecules. in the middle.
Chemists say the water molecule is polar. It

has electromagnetic poles, just like Earth's
north and south. But of course, water
molecules are somewhat diminutive in
comparison--about a billion, billion times
smaller. The top of the molecule (as
How heat works pictured) has a slightly positive charge
Microwaves are electromagnetic energy. So compared with the bottom, which carries a
is light, so is heat, and so are computer relatively negative charge. As microwaves
signals. The difference between these move through liquid water, the
seemingly very different kinds of energy is electromagnetic waves slightly attract then
not their speed (they're all going the speed slightly repel the H2O molecules, and things
of light); it's their respective wavelengths. heat up.
Light waves are a few hundred billionths of
a meter long. Green light's wavelength is Why popcorn pops
about 550 nanometers (0.000000550 meters) This polarity is what makes popcorn pop.
long. Heat's wavelength is about twice that, Popcorn kernels carry just the right amount
around 1,000 nanometers. We have, of of water inside--around 14 percent of a
course, another name for heat--infrared, properly dried popcorn kernel is liquid
which means below red. It's designated water. So when microwaves pass through a
"below" because as the wavelength goes up, kernel, the water turns to steam and blows
the frequency goes down. Infrared energy the kernel inside out.
makes molecules move faster. The kinetic or
"moving" energy of molecules is actually a In the air of a microwave oven, we don't
definition of temperature. More kinetic have liquid water. We have water vapor.
energy means more molecular motion and a With the molecules much, much farther
hotter temperature. apart, the gentle tumbling brought on by the
microwave energy doesn't cause them to rub
on each other the way they do when they're
a liquid. So the air in a microwave oven
hardly heats up at all. But foods and
materials with polar molecules do. When the
microwave magnetron is on, it's a molecular
tumble-thon.
Microwaves are much, much longer than
heat waves. Microwaves are about 12
centimeters long. That would be 12 million
nanometers. When these waves pass through
some materials they set these substances
tumbling--on the molecular level. That

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electrons flowing at any moment is

somewhat smaller than in your house

These flowing electrons are directed into a

Microwaves affect molecules that have

You may know from experience that one

Chemists say the water molecule is polar. It

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