Why does microwave heat unevenly?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Microwaves create hot spots
Food thickness varies — Wrong. Thickness does affect heating, but even uniform food heats unevenly because microwaves create standing wave patterns with hot and cold spots.
Microwaves create hot spots ✓ — Correct! Microwaves bounce off metal walls and interfere with each other, creating standing waves—patterns with 'hot spots' (high energy) and 'cold spots' (low energy). Food placed in hot spots heats faster. That's why turntables rotate food through different zones!
Turntable spins too slowly — Wrong. Faster spinning would help, but the core issue is physics—standing waves create hot and cold zones that no turntable can completely eliminate.
Go deeper: Standing wave
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