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Who knows the answer to this one. Most microwave ovens have a lazy susan that food items are rotated around on. My daughter asked me why that rotating plate does not get hot?

azzow2 9 Aug 27
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If your poodle was made of glass you could safely put it in the microwave but if it is a normal, flesh and blood poodle then it would be best to keep it on the outside of the microwave. Appliances that emit strong microwave radiation should not be kept near where you sleep or spend large amounts of time as they are not good for your health.

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Love the answers here . I did not know this ! Thanks everyone for the explanations !

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Microwave ovens work by dielectric heating: dipolar molecules in the food, chiefly water and fat molecules, are made to rotate by the emission of microwave energy which forces them to try to align with the magnetic field of the device's cavity magnetron. As the molecules rotate, they collide with other molecules and thus set them in motion too, allowing the energy to disperse through the food and heating it. Molecules in liquid can rotate far more easily than those held within a sold; your food contains far more water than the rotating glass plate and will therefore become hot far quicker. Given sufficient time, the oven will heat the plate too (in fact, under certain conditions a domestic microwave oven can create a "thermal runaway" uncontrolled feedback loop, heating glass to melting point); your food, by that time, will be ruined.

Jnei Level 8 Aug 27, 2018

Brilliant!!

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Microwave works on exciting moisture/water (and metals that are conductive) so the plastic is safe.

So it is being bombarded with energy over time would it accumulate a radioactive build up? if not how is the excessive energy dissipated?

@azzow2 The cavity magnetron in a microwave oven emits non-ionizing radiation, which (if you were stupid enough to disable the automated safety shut-off which activates when you open the door) can cause burns but does not cause cancer. Secondly, it's a myth that objects and people exposed to radiation become radioactive themselves (http://watisradioactievestraling.tudelft.nl/en/movies/irradiation-source-does-not-make-you-radioactive) - so neither the plate nor the food will become radioactive.

@Jnei I can remember when microwaves were getting more popular there were signs in public places something like a microwave in use people with pacemakers beware. The original microwave boosted sound waves how would that affect a pacemaker?

@azzow2 I don't know about those. It may be that the signs were simply there because of concerns about microwave devices in the early days, or it could be that they weren't as well constructed as modern examples. In the case of a modern oven, the casing acts as a Faraday cage and prevents microwave energy from leaking out.

Radiation is the excitement of waves— specifically water content and conductive materials. It does NOT cause isotopic decay— if you are sloffing isotopes you are “radioactive” in a sense but it’s halflives and damaging DNA and cellular mechanisms, it’ll also set off a Geiger counter— not a microwave but like high energy particles. So, jnei I would disagree o that point, but you’re not perpetuating the chain reaction— that plays itself out.

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It will get hot, after a long time. It's just made of a glass that let's most of the microwaves flow through it without resistance.

Was wondering if the ionic bond gains positrons and becomes atomically heavy?

@azzow2 no... not even close.. microwaves react with different minerals in different ways. Try putting a CD in one once, and watch the light show. Anything metal causes electrical arc's, because metal blocks the microwaves. Water absorbs them the most, which is why the more water is in something, the faster it heats up. Volume per volume. Microwaves are like any radiation. Just with a incredibly short half life.

I always prefer a straightforward and simple answer that gets to the heart of the question but if someone is asking this question then more info is not necessary.

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