Microwave Oven

Details

9B65 - Microwave Apparatus

Demo use only

Instances

Instance #259

G2B20A - Demo West (Duane Physics)

Fair - Minor Issues Demo use only

Used in these demonstrations

Microwave oven on lecture bench with door open showing two styrofoam cups inside; infrared camera thermal image projected on wall behind shows temperature reading of 22.5 degrees

Safety

Microwave Heating

Microwaves selectively heat polar molecules (water) while leaving non-polar materials (styrofoam, air) unaffected. Students see this directly using an infrared camera to compare a water-filled cup with an empty cup …

FLIR thermal image of marshmallows showing bright yellow-orange hot spots at regular intervals against purple cooler regions, temperature scale from 21.5 to 41.3 degrees C

Safety

Standing Microwaves

Marshmallows in a microwave oven (turntable removed) heat unevenly, revealing the standing wave pattern through hot spots visible on a FLIR thermal camera. Measuring the spacing between hot spots gives …

Reserve This Equipment

Demo use only

This equipment supports lecture demonstrations and cannot be reserved directly — it is assigned automatically as part of a demonstration. To use it, request a demo that includes it.