Physics of a Microwave
Southeast Missouri State University
PH106-01
Instructor: Dr. Jian Peng
Submitted By: Natalie Gladbach The microwave, also known as a microwave oven, was seemingly a breakthrough in technology in the early 1940’s that allowed whole meals to be prepared in minutes. The idea of the microwave was created by a man named Percy Spencer. Mr. Spencer developed the plans based on radar technology breakthroughs from World War II. The microwave was originally named the Radarange and first hit store fronts in 1946. The Radarange did not sell to well as they were rather large and bulky for regular home use. In 1955 a company known as Tappan created a new version but even that version was too big and expensive. In 1967 the Amana Corporation introduced the first countertop microwave oven and since the microwave has become the most used kitchen appliance in the world. The Microwave oven is known to heat or reheat previously cooked foods by exposing the food to microwave radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum. This activates polar molecules in the food to rotate and produce thermal energy. This is a process known as dielectric heating. Consequently, the food is heated quickly and efficiently. Food that is spread out and has higher water content will cook faster and more thoroughly than food which is denser.
In order for food to be cooked in a microwave oven, microwaves must pass through the food. Thus, the name microwave. Microwaves are electromagnetic
Heating a popcorn. External: I put the popcorn bag in the microwave and heat it up, so the popcorn will be ready to eat. Internal: The heat that is emitted from the microwave will heat the corn shell, so that it will pop.
Cooking in a microwave uses less energy. Toasting bread in a toaster is cheaper than using the grill.
In the past, using a lot of oil and fats in cooking was necessary to make the dishes tasty and to bring out the best and deliciousness in a dish. But now, it is not so, since, these ovens have dedicated knobs and plates for cooking that would just evenly heat up the food that you are cooking and that too using infrared rays so that your cooking time and of course oil is also used up effectively.
In “How a Melted Chocolate Bar Changed our Kitchens”, it talks about how this man named Percy Spencer, discovered a completely new way to cook. In the text it said, “Percy Spencer was trying to create a Magnetron device, “and he did so much more than create the device. He discovered that the Magnetron gave off so much heat. One day he was trying to figure out what the machine would do if he put a handful of popcorn kernels in front of it. Percy then asked for the kernels and they popped right in his hands! He didn’t even believe what he was seeing because they didn’t have microwaves back then.
When I attended, there was a lunchroom. It was in what was originally a classroom on the first floor of the annex. There were blackboards and chalk trays. There were folding tables and folding chairs for some students to sit and eat. There was no real kitchen. There was a counter. Behind the counter there was a refrigerator and a freezer. There also was a Stewart In-Fra-Red oven for heating Stewart Sandwiches. Stewart Sandwiches were pre-made hamburgers, hotdogs and the like. They were marketed by Stewart In-Fra-Red, Inc., Harvard, Illinois. Infrared ovens were more readily available than microwave ovens, or radar ranges as they were called. The primary market for Stewart Sandwiches was snack bars at bowling alleys and low-end retail stores. At the time, Stewart Sandwiches were also the main entrée
To begin the hovercraft was dreamt up by inventor Christopher Cockrell of England. Cockrell put the idea to paper in 1955 and originally tested his idea using an empty KiteKat cat food tin inside a coffee tin, an industrial air blower and a pair of kitchen scales. After creating a full scale model they were produced and used for military purposes originally by England and later by the U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War. Another invention of the 1950’s was the microwave, the microwave was first sold for consumer use in 1954 and sold by the Raytheon Co. The microwave helped families make quick meals and started a wave of T.V. dinners in the 1960’s when the microwave was a household essential. Although the microwave soon became a household item it was not always so popular, many feared that microwaves were unsafe. Even though people feared about the microwave’s safety the microwave soon became a big part of American food culture from the 1950’s until
The KitchenAid story begins when Herbert Johnson, he was an engineer at the Hobart Corporation. Herbert observed a baker hard at work, mixing his bread by hand, and then he has the idea and decided that there must be a better way. They introduced an 80 quart commercial baking dough mixer in 1915 on which he had worked since 1908. He set out to develop an automatic mixer and in 1914, Hobart released the 60-quart industrial H5. The H5 eventually made its way into every ship kitchen in the US Navy. They then introduced a 65 pound domestic version in 1919, named the Model "H" the KitchenAid when a housewife tester commented, "I don 't care what you call it, but I know it 's the best kitchen aid I have ever had." It was sold door to door for $189 and was on the market until 1927. In the
The microwave oven supports the mission statement of Company G, as it will improve the quality of life with the following features:
The Radio was introduced to society because of the telegraph and the telephone. These inventions don’t do the same things but their similar branch of technology. “Radio technology began as “wireless telegraphy”. “It all started with the discovery of radio waves, electromagnetic waves that have the capacity to transmit music, speech, pictures and other data invisibly through air.” [Bellis] Majority of technology uses electromagnetic waves to send data information or TV broadcasts. During the 1860’s, Scottish physicist, James Clerk Maxwell predicted the existence of radio waves; and in 1886, German physicist, Heinrich Rudolph Hertz showed how fast the variation of electric current could be placed into space in the form of
They use gas or electricity to heat a ceramic plate and the infrared that radiates from the plate is what cooks the food. The waves are emitted within a particular wavelength range that is optimal for cooking. Some are designed specifically to limit air circulation and to provide even heat.
Some parents simply do not have the time to cook for their families, so they look for an alternative option. Many people will get fast food because of how convenient it is. Fast food restaurants are everywhere and since they are so easily accessible, parents will often chose that over cooking. Another easy option that parents turn to is microwaveable meals. Microwaveable foods have become so popular because of how quick and simple they are. Since these meals are so simple, children are able to make food for themselves at a younger age. The children no longer have to rely on their parents to cook for them and the children are able to make food whenever they are hungry. Microwave meals have made it easy for families to make their food whenever they get hungry, making family dinners a rare
“Don’t stand too close to the microwave!” This is a common phrase thrown out--usually by a worried mother--to stop children from potentially receiving “dangerous” radiation waves as the food heats up. The microwave was invented by Percy Spencer in 1946 and ever since its first debut, it has received much criticism. Debates over the true safety of utilizing this appliance worry many people and, in some cases, lead people to forego using a microwave all together. All may not be as it seems though as new research and technology reveals another side to the story. The more one understands about the science behind and the safety surrounding the microwave, the more one will start realizing that the microwave is actually not as harmful as contended.
The Microfridge, Is a devised electronic circuitry that shuts off power to the refrigerator whenever the microwave oven is switched on and pulls less than 20 amps of current, is a 1+1>2 device which can offer those who are in concern of using electronic appliances safely like college students and retailers a safer, more convenient and inexpensive combination of microwave and fridge.
The rectenna on Earth that receive the microwaves would also have to be extremely large due to the expanding size of the microwaves as they approach