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Do microwaves produce light energy? |
Question Date: 2019-05-16 | | Answer 1:
This is a good question. First of all, the term
"microwaves" is a little ambiguous here, so let's
be sure to define clearly what we mean. The word
"microwaves" can refer to a specific kind of
electromagnetic radiation (light energy),
which has wavelengths that range from 1mm to 1m.
However, I believe you were probably referring to
microwave ovens, which are used to heat and/or
cook food! Microwave ovens do not technically
create electromagnetic radiation, but they do
convert electrical energy (i.e. they're plugged
into a wall) into electromagnetic energy
(microwaves). The microwaves which are
produced by the microwave oven then act primarily
on the water in our food to make them vibrate and
heat up the food! I hope this helps.
| | Answer 2:
Light waves have more energy than
microwaves. Microwaves mostly make water
molecules move around and get hot. Water molecules
in ice are packed together, so the microwaves
don't make them move around very much.
There's one way to get light energy in a
microwave oven - put in something metal, like
aluminum foil, which shouldn't be in the
microwave, and it makes sparks of light. Not a
good idea!
I like this, about all the different energies.
I put your question into a google search, and I
got this:
The different types of radiation are defined by
the amount of energy found in the photons.
Radio waves have photons with low energies,
microwave photons have a little more energy than
radio waves, infrared photons have still more,
then visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, and, the most
energetic of all, gamma-rays.
Read more
Here:
| | Answer 3:
Microwaves are light, and light carries energy,
so microwaves therefore carry energy. Light
doesn't produce anything, though - light
carries energy.
It occurs to me that you might be asking if
microwave ovens produce light, in which case the
answer is yes: they produce microwaves.
| | Answer 4:
Microwaves are a type of electromagnetic wave
and are used in radar, in communications, and for
heating in microwave ovens. They are shorter
than radio waves but longer than infrared
radiation and waves in the visible spectrum.
Because they have a longer wavelength than the
visible spectrum, they do not produce visible
light energy and we cannot see them!
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