Jennifer

=**Microwaves **= = = I like popcorn, but only when it's nice and all popped. I don't like kernels and my popcorn wouldn't be possible without a common appliance, the microwave oven. Microwaves are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. There are many different waves and rays in the electromagnetic spectrum, and they are arranged from longest wavelength and lowest frequency to shortest wavelengh and highest frequency. In order, these waves include Radio waves, Microwaves, Infrared rays, Visable light, Ultraviolet rays, X-rays and last but not least, Gamma rays. Microwave ovens might seem like they use heat, but they actually use radiation. They use a type of waves called microwaves. These microwaves can do many things. They are used to detect speeding cars, they send telephone and television signals, they treat muscle soreness, and industrially they are used to dry and cure plywood, cure rubber and resigns, raise bread, and cook potato chips. They do all of these things but they are usually used in microwave ovens.

Microwaves are classified under the category radio waves. These waves have the lowest frequencies and the longest wave lengths. Microwaves can be one millimeter to thirty centimeters long. Even though, the microwaves used to cook our food are approximately twelve centimeters or five inches long in wave length. Microwave ovens are tuned so that they generate microwaves at a certain frequency so that they can be absorbed by the food. Microwaves have a couple of characteristics. They are that microwaves are that they are reflected by metal, the pass through glass, paper, and plastic, and they are absorbed food. 

Cooking in microwave ovens are pretty complexed, and by that I don't mean what buttons to push and when to take out your plate of food. I mean what happens inside is complex. Inside microwave ovens there is an electron tube called the magnetron. The magnetron creates the microwaves that cook your food. After these microwaves are produced they reflect on the metal interior and they are then absorbed by the food. Inside the food the particles heat up producing heat and heat cooks or heats up your food. This works because since the heat is cooking your food it doesn't make it radio active or contaminated, unlike if the microwaves cooked it it would be. Another thing is that microwave ovens cook things more efficiently than 'normal' cooking. It also keeps more of the vitamins and minerals in the food because no excess water was added. As I said before, glass, paper, ceramic, and plastic are safe to use because the microwaves pass through these materials unlike metal. If you put in metal pans or aluminum the food in these things may cook unevenly and the microwave oven may be damaged. All of this was first created by Dr. Percy Spencer.



Microwave ovens were first produced in 1946 by Dr. Percy Spencer. He was studying micrwaves and during one of his experiments he had a chocolate bar in his pocket. He then found that after the experiment that chocolate bar had melted in his pocket! Now Dr. Spencer was a curious man so he put a couple of popcorn kernals near his experiment and within seconds they jumped out of the air and popped. Still curious Dr. Spencer then put an egg near his experiment. After about a minute he watched in astonishement as the egg quaked and then exploded before his very eyes. After this discovery P.R. Hansen then joined Dr. Spencer and they created a secret project with the code name "Speedie Weenie". They said that it meant fast hot dog. In 1947 microwave ovens hit the markets, but they were not like how they are now. When microwave ovens first came out they were five and a half feet tall! Over time scientists then found how to reduce the size to what it is today-but could they figure out more things about the health aspects?



**TO**

Microwave ovens are all together not the safest machines in the world. They can't exactly kill you but they can sure hurt you. Microwaves can burn body tissues so this can harm you. High levels of micrwaves can especially burn your eyes causing catarats (Where a pocket of liquid forms behind the eye. A minor surgury is needed to fix this.) Althougth researchers aren't so sure about this next one some experiments point to the fact that microwaves may cause cancer, so microwave ovens could cause cancer. Microwaves can also kill white blood cells and phagocytosis(When a cell injests a smaller cell) may occur if there is a chronic exposure (Where they white blood cells are exposed to microwave radiation for a long period of time). Another danger caused by microwaves is resonance. For example, if there is a microwave with a wave lengh of one foot, and a child is near this wave, it could cause resonance inside his/her head. Of course, this only applies to small children and only if they are really close to the wave. More dangers include DNA damage and chromozone damage.

Even though microwave ovens may not be that safe, but they are a good, efficiant way to cook food. I guess it's the way you define efficancy that matters and whether you think efficiancy is always good, but microwaves are now one of the most common household appliances found in the world because of Dr. Percy Spencer and despite the health risks. They are so common that they even have special food to be cooked in the microwaves such as microwave popcorn and microwave pizza, but just ask yourself, are these things worth the health risk?

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"Electromagnetic Spectrum." Web. 12 Apr 2011. .

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">"Microwaves." Web. 12 Apr 2011. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"><http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/dn14250/dn14250-1_250.jpg>.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">"First microwave oven." Web. 12 Apr 2011. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"><http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0aehjnsJh8Y/Sv8gOMVOLHI/AAAAAAAAAMc/Ao82KVkCS5o/s320/firstmicro.gif>

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">"Microwaves from the inside." Web. 12 Apr 2011. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"><[]>

"Microwave popcorn." Web. 12 Apr 2011. <http://www.healthjockey.com/2007/09/10/inhaling-microwave-popcorn-fumes-could-be-dangerous/>.