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Everyday microwave oven physics: Does the energy transferred depend on what is inside?
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[QUOTE="sophiecentaur, post: 6825946, member: 199289"] This is a very difficult question, I think. I trawled around for some help and I found [URL='http://www.sfu.ca/phys/346/121/resources/physics_of_microwave_ovens.pdf']this link[/URL] which I briefly looked at and which would be worth a look. But most of the hits I got from my search seemed more interested in the various modes that the waves have within the cavity than in the actual heating process for the food put in it. In any system which involves a radio frequency amplifier / source and a load, it's usual to need to know the Impedance of the load in order to know how much power will be transferred to it and how much will be reflected and wasted. A microwave oven uses a magnetron which is a fairly robust device (actually, a pretty magic invention aamof) which can 'handle' a range of load impedances (jugs of water / lumps of meat etc., all of different sizes). But a nominal 900W setting will not necessarily mean that the 900W is getting into the water. The efficiency factor can vary a lot. [URL='https://ecocostsavings.com/microwave-wattage/']This link[/URL] claims to have values but I honestly suspect the figures may not be too reliable and comparing one appliance with another would need lots of different cooking loads and types. They suggest values 70% up to the high 90's%. I agree with [USER=43978]@Dale[/USER] who suggests that you could very easily do some experiments with various masses of water in glass jugs. Avoid unspecified crockery which may absorb much of the microwave energy and mess up your results. Best to operate well below 100C, for good practical reasons and measure the temperature as soon as you can, after removing the jug. (don't leave it inside during cooking!) [/QUOTE]
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Everyday microwave oven physics: Does the energy transferred depend on what is inside?
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