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Microwaves are high frequency radio waves. They were discovered by an engineer working on high frequency transmission and noticed his coffee got warm near the transmitter.

They burn internally because of their energy levels and frequency. That makes then more dangerous then lower frequencies.

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15y ago
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10y ago

'Microwaves' ARE radio waves, and they're not necessarily any more dangerous

than any other radio wave with any other wavelength or frequency. The danger

only arises when you think about where you're likely to come in contact with

different kinds of radio waves, and how much.

-- Radio waves from AM, FM, TV stations:

They start out with hundreds or thousands of watts of power, from the tops of

tall towers. By the time they reach you, they're all spread out, and you're hundreds

of feet down and several miles away.

-- Radio waves from cellular telephone and mobile data repeaters:

They start out with 20 or 30 or 50 watts of power, from the tops of short towers.

By the time they reach you, they're all spread out, and you're way down on the

ground and a few miles away.

-- Radio waves from GPS satellites and TV satellites:

They start out with 50 or 100 watts of power, from 22,000 miles out in space.

-- Radio waves from the cellphone you talk on:

They start out with 1/2 watt or 1 watt or 2 watts of power. What's that you're doing . . .

holding it up next to your eyes and your brain ? ! ? A lot of people aren't too sure

about that yet.

-- Micro-radio-waves used to beam telephone conversations and stock trades

along intercity routes where fiber is too expensive and satellite links are too slow:

They start out with 1/4 watt or 1/2 watt from the top of a tall tower, and they

use big dish antennas to focus the power straight out in front of them. By the

time they reach you, you're hundreds of feet below, miles away, and if you have

another big dish antenna handy to collect them with, you might be able to collect

as much as 0.00001 watt of power.

-- Micro-radio waves used to heat meatloaf and make popcorn in a box on the counter

in your kitchen:

They start out 600 watts or 1,200 watts, or 2,000 watts of power, and you

stand there a few feet away waiting for the corn to pop, and the only thing

standing between you and enough radio-wave power to cook meat is that

thin RF filter in the window of the box.

You get less radiation exposure climbing a tower with ten microwave dishes and an FM transmitter on it than you get when you warm up the leftover meatloaf in the microwave oven.

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Q: Why are microwaves more dangerous than radio waves?
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Do microwaves have more or less energy than radio waves?

Microwaves have more energy than radio waves. They have shorter wavelengths and higher frequencies, which results in more energy being carried by microwaves compared to radio waves.


Which is more dangerous Visible waves or microwaves?

Microwaves are generally more dangerous than visible waves because they have higher energy levels that can penetrate deeper into tissues and cause harm. Visible waves, such as light, have lower energy levels and are less likely to cause harm to the body.


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Radio waves and microwaves are both used for communication through technologies such as mobile phones, Wi-Fi routers, and satellites. Radio waves are commonly used for long-range communication, while microwaves are more often used for shorter-range communication and can carry higher data rates. Both types of waves are able to transmit information wirelessly by modulating their characteristics to encode data.


Do radio waves have more energy then microwaves?

No, radio waves typically have lower energy than microwaves. Radio waves have longer wavelengths and lower frequencies, while microwaves have shorter wavelengths and higher frequencies, resulting in higher energy levels for microwaves.


What are infa-red waves used for?

Infrared waves are special waves that helps you get rid of wrinkles.


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Microwaves have a moderate penetrating ability compared to other EM waves. They can penetrate materials like food and some plastics, but can be absorbed by metals and water. This property makes them useful for cooking and telecommunications.


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The radiation that travels as waves includes electromagnetic radiation, such as visible light, radio waves, microwaves, and X-rays. These waves vary in frequency and energy, with higher frequencies corresponding to more energetic radiation.


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