Microwaves

[ALee_1J]

It's been on my mind for a while but... when you microwave food, are you just exciting the electrons in the food and is the heat the energy that the electrons give off when they return to ground state?

[IsaacLaw1E]

Microwaves have relatively large wavelengths and lower frequencies, so the energy they give off is low. They have non-ionizing radiation, which isn't enough to remove electrons, but is enough to move them around inside their atoms, which gives off heat.

[Austin Aldujaili 2D]

Going back to the last unit/outline, microwaves have very long wavelengths and low frequency, meaning they do not have high enough energy to excite an electron. The movement of electrons in water molecules however will increase the temperature and produce heat.