Microwaves

4 Pages 1087 Words

The microwave oven is one of the many inventions that were not intentionally created. In the mid-nineteen forties, during World War II the magnetron tube was invented. This device produced microwaves. A microwave is a radio wave. They were installed in British radar systems to detect Nazi warplanes in the British Isles. Several years later, scientists discovered that microwaves cooked food.
The idea came across of using these microwaves for heating food when Dr. Percy Spencer was testing one of the magnetron tubes and the candy bar in his pocket melted. That is because the wave frequency of the microwave is 2,500 megahertz. Water, fats and sugars absorb this frequency. This occurrence converts the microwaves into atomic motion, which is heat. Another interesting property about this frequency range is that most plastic glass and ceramics do not absorb it. Dr. Spencer then did experiments in front of other colleagues with eggs and popcorn. This proved microwave heating could raise food temperatures faster than a conventional oven. Dr. Spencer then created a metal box, which he designed to trap energy. The microwave energy was not able to escape. This higher concentration of energy caused the temperature of food to increase quickly. This could be considered the first microwave oven.
On Jan 24, 1950 Dr. Spencer patented his invention the microwave. Engineers went to work trying to refine the idea and put it to practical use. The Raytheon Company created the first practical microwave dubbed the "Radarange.” They gave it this name because magnetrons were invented for use in radars. These first microwave ovens were too big to be used in homes. They were more than five feet tall and weighed over 750 pounds. A device of these proportions would not be welcome in most homes nor would the price. The price for one of these microwave ovens was $5,000. This was a quite large sum for the time considering a new Ford V-8 cost only abo...