What Electromagnetic waves (microwaves) are and how they work


Wave Spectrum (15)

The Physics of the Microwave Oven Home   A little History  What electromagnetic waves (microwaves) are and how they work
How microwaves are structured   How microwaves operate   The Effects on food that microwaves
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According to Miriam-Webster's Dictionary an electromagnetic wave is "one of the waves that are propagated by simultaneous periodic variations of electric and magnetic field intensity and that include radio waves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X rays, and gamma rays."  What this actually means is that electromagnetic waves have both electric and magnetic fields that oscillate each are at a ninety degree angle from the other.  The energy produced by these waves is most commonly known as radiation, there are varying intensities of radiation.  There are two different types of radiation non-ionizing and ionizing the difference between the two is that ionizing radiation can change the molecules of an electron which can cause damage to tissues exposed to it; where as non-ionizing radiation doesn’t have the amount of energy to have this effect.

Electromagnetic wave shape and movement (16)

The differences in electromagnetic waves and their intensities, or energy levels, has to do with their frequency, which is the number of waves within a given unit of time.  The higher the frequency (υ) the more intense the wave is and also shows us what the wavelength (λ), the distance between two peaks, is.  The period is the time it takes for one full wave to cycle and the amplitude is the distance from the origin to the minimum or maximum value.                                                                                         Electromagnetic Frequency Spectrum (17)

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