The plate stays cool, the food turns molten, and a fork throws sparks — a microwave oven is stranger than it looks. This short course explains how it works: how ~2.45 GHz waves make water molecules twist into heat, why standing waves leave hot and cold spots (and why the turntable spins), what the oven can and can't heat, and why metal arcs while the food behind a mesh window cooks safely.
The plate stays cool, the food turns molten, and a fork throws sparks — a microwave oven is stranger than it looks. This short course explains how it works: how ~2.45 GHz waves make water molecules twist into heat, why standing waves leave hot and cold spots (and why the turntable spins), what the oven can and can't heat, and why metal arcs while the food behind a mesh window cooks safely.
