- #1
The Rev
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These are probably the newbest of newb questions, possessing of a level of ignorance that moves right past funny into sad...however, being the curious type that I am, I'm going to tempt the cat's proverbial fate, and ask anyway.
1) My understanding is that microwave ovens work on the principle that EM waves of a certain frequency (microwaves) agitate the water molecules in the food, and as a result of the agitation, heat is produced which then cooks your food. Now, what I don't know about quantum mechanics is alot, but doesn't this basically come down to photon-electron interactions, where the photons are of just the right frequency to cause the electrons to change state within the hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water?
If this is so, then nuking food is basically a quantum interaction, right?
Well, if this is so, then one might assume that the food is in a superposition of states until observed, at which time a state of "cooked" or "uncooked" is determined by the collapse of the microwave energy's wave function.
What happens if you watch the food the entire time it's "cooking"? How can the food change states if it's being observed the entire time?
2) How do they keep the microwave frequency photons from escaping the oven if visible light can get out?
Thank you for indulging me.
[tex]\hbar[/tex]
The Rev
1) My understanding is that microwave ovens work on the principle that EM waves of a certain frequency (microwaves) agitate the water molecules in the food, and as a result of the agitation, heat is produced which then cooks your food. Now, what I don't know about quantum mechanics is alot, but doesn't this basically come down to photon-electron interactions, where the photons are of just the right frequency to cause the electrons to change state within the hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water?
If this is so, then nuking food is basically a quantum interaction, right?
Well, if this is so, then one might assume that the food is in a superposition of states until observed, at which time a state of "cooked" or "uncooked" is determined by the collapse of the microwave energy's wave function.
What happens if you watch the food the entire time it's "cooking"? How can the food change states if it's being observed the entire time?
2) How do they keep the microwave frequency photons from escaping the oven if visible light can get out?
Thank you for indulging me.
[tex]\hbar[/tex]
The Rev