Friday, November 14, 2008
Microwave Theory
(4)
This brings us to the microwave oven. Microwave ovens are designed to propagate EME (ElectroMagnetic Energy) in the most efficient manner. But there is a problem: different 'loads' result in different results. Specifically, as the individual load varies from the designed load, standing waves appear and affect heating. Parts of the 'load' get much more heating energy than other parts: a turkey, for example, absorbs much more energy than a weenie, the rest being reflected back down the waveguide, then re-reflected, etc. The result is 'standing waves' which only heat air. Since a microwave oven is supposed to heat a wide variety of organic mass, a method was needed to avoid hot spots in the various organic mass: a turkey needed to receive its fair share of EMR, and a weenie also needed to receive its fair share (to avoid uneven heating).
But the equations were completely narrow and rigid: no way could any specific oven be designed which could cook both a turkey and a weenie in a uniform manner.
Technology solved the problem with the turntable: the organic mass was rotated inside the oven, resulting in reasonably even heating. Hooray for technology: Clearly, technology solved a scientific problem by rotating the organic mass around and through the inevitable standing wave hot spots, resulting in an average heating.
This brings us to the microwave oven. Microwave ovens are designed to propagate EME (ElectroMagnetic Energy) in the most efficient manner. But there is a problem: different 'loads' result in different results. Specifically, as the individual load varies from the designed load, standing waves appear and affect heating. Parts of the 'load' get much more heating energy than other parts: a turkey, for example, absorbs much more energy than a weenie, the rest being reflected back down the waveguide, then re-reflected, etc. The result is 'standing waves' which only heat air. Since a microwave oven is supposed to heat a wide variety of organic mass, a method was needed to avoid hot spots in the various organic mass: a turkey needed to receive its fair share of EMR, and a weenie also needed to receive its fair share (to avoid uneven heating).
But the equations were completely narrow and rigid: no way could any specific oven be designed which could cook both a turkey and a weenie in a uniform manner.
Technology solved the problem with the turntable: the organic mass was rotated inside the oven, resulting in reasonably even heating. Hooray for technology: Clearly, technology solved a scientific problem by rotating the organic mass around and through the inevitable standing wave hot spots, resulting in an average heating.
