On Sun, 28 Jan 2007 15:35:16 -0000, Snap Whipcrack.............. wrote:

Peter Hucker wrote:
On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 16:49:43 -0000, Snap Whipcrack.............. wrote:

Peter Hucker wrote:
Is it really true that turning on a microwave with nothing in it will break it?

Even more worrying - will it catch fire or explode?

Don't they have a safety cutout? Can't it sense the Klystron overheating, or a build up of microwaves over a certain level?

I have purchased a new microwave which has an easier to grab control. I'm concerned one of my pet parrots will switch it on! (Seriously, they do stuff like that)

Microwave ovens don't care what you put inside. They do not have
feedback loops. You can cook a raisin or a melon or nothing at all.

But where do you think the power ends up if it is not absorbed?

Same question, where do the light waves go from the light inside the
microwave? Same energy, just higher frequency and lower power. Same
place as the microwaves.

Light is absorbed into all sorts of things. Microwaves are NOT absorbed into anything inside the oven. They are reflected completely by the metal sides.

--
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Two cowboys are riding along a trail in the mountains when they suddenly hear tom toms beating very close to them.
"Oh! That doesn't sound good," one says to the other.
As soon as the words were spoken, an Indian jumps out from behind a tree and said, "Yeah, our regular drummer is out sick."