Engineer Guy vs. The Microwave Oven

Education Science
Engineer Guy vs. The Microwave Oven
YouTube player

The elements of the week are tungsten and thorium, which are alloyed to make the filament in the special type of vacuum tube—called a magnetron—that produces radiation in your microwave oven. Bill and the Engineer Guy team first explain the anatomy of a basic microwave oven, then come through with a great, memorable visualization that intuitively links the wave’s oscillating electric and magnetic fields to the rotational vibrations of water molecules, in the food, that actually heat it up. Other highlights include mapping the standing wave in the cooking cavity by heating a platter of grated cheese, and a cross-section of a real magnetron with overlays and a handy analogy explaining how it works. [Thanks, Bill!]

10 thoughts on “Engineer Guy vs. The Microwave Oven

  1. miroslava von schlochbaum says:

    That was delightfully informative! as usual for Mr Hammack. never before did i get the rotating loops of electrons in place of a simpler dipole antenna, (for example).

    The cheese demonstration of the nodes was equally amazing. Is there no way to slew the phase angle? Probably more costly than it’s worth relative to the mechanical food carousel..?

    Thankee Bill!

  2. jammit says:

    Another neat thing. If you remove the magnets, the magnetron turns into a rectifier. A magnetron is a self oscillating diode.

  3. How Microwave Ovens Work [Video] |Dark Angels Network says:

    […] [via Make] […]

  4. Como funcionam os microondas | Unders Tech says:

    […] blog.makezine.com Submarino.com.br Compartilhe isso:Compartilhar Posted in Gadgets, Geral, Vídeos Tags: […]

  5. vivek singh says:

    Great comparison between engineer and Microwave oven. Thanks for sharing.

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

View more articles by Sean Michael Ragan

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK