How must microwaves interact with matter if they cause food and most containers to heat in a microwave oven?

Answer 1

Microwaves are a form of electromagnetic energy, which means that they are waves that travel through space that transmit energy from a source to the object with which they will interact, such as food. Other well-known's forms of electromagnetic energy are light, TV, radio, x-rays and more. When these microwaves enter into food, for example, they effect the behavior of molecules such as water and are able to translate their energy into the energy of the water molecules, thereby raising their energy state, which then gets transformed into heat. The big advantage of microwaves when heating things is that, in contrast to ordinary heat which eats an object from the outside, microwave can heat both the outside and the inside simultaneously. But it is critical to understand that microwaves are a form of energy, not a form of heat. It is this energy which creates heat through its interaction with the food.