Where is microwaves used

To reduce the diffraction potential of the wave, the microwave wavelength must be smaller than the diameter of the dish. The satellite dish also needs to be made of metal since metallic surfaces help to reflect microwaves too.

Microwaves are used as a medium for transmitting information between mobile devices. When you send a message, voice call, a video clip, or a photo, this information is transformed into signals which are then sent through microwaves to the nearest cell tower. It is at this point that the signal gets transmitted to the intended destination device. These signals are sent as small continuous bursts of information in a very short time.

So, the next time you receive a phone call on your cell phone remember: Microwaves made it happen. They operate on the same frequency bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. Wi-Fi is short for wireless fidelity and refers to the ability of Wi-Fi microwaves to operate at different frequencies. For instance, Wi-Fi signals from laptops are usually transmitted at 2.

This frequency falls within the microwave range of the spectrum, which is between MHz and GHz. Gone are the days when it was easier to pull teeth than it was to get directions to a place you have never been to before. GPS is a remarkable technology that uses satellites orbiting the earth to broadcast microwave signals and determine the precise location of a moving or stationary object in addition to determining its velocity. The system is controlled and operated by the US Department of Defense and has a large array of applications for both the general public and the military.

The information transmitted over microwave signals contains data on the satellite range as well as navigation messages. Ever wondered how the police radar gun works to calculate the speed of a vehicle? The answer to this lies in microwaves. The device sends out short bursts of microwaves. When these outgoing waves hit the vehicle, they get reflected and are detected by the gun receiver. This is what ultimately computes the speed of the vehicle based on the distance traveled by the microwaves and time it took to receive the reflected signal.

It is widely used to provide information on the angle, range, or velocity of objects in the air, sea or terrain. So, it can detect ships out at sea, guided missiles, air crafts, space crafts, terrain, etc. It was originally developed during the Second World War. Microwaves are used in radar because they can be transmitted as a single beam in a particular direction.

Objects are detected when the straight-line path of the microwave beam is obstructed. Oh, how the Stone Age man would have loved the convenience modern-day microwaves ovens have to offer. These electronics became widely popular in the s when this seemingly magical box could heat food and even cook it without any visible heat source.

And a magnetron is a device that simply is designed to oscillate a magnetic field at about two-and-a-half gigahertz. So, this device, which has an oscillator in one portion, then produces microwaves, which are then focused and reflected through a conduit. The microwave oven has to have two characteristics. The first is that microwaves have to be reflected off the inside surface because if the microwaves pour into the box, they scatter, bounce off, and then are eventually absorbed by the food.

The other main device in the microwave oven is a magnetron, which merely fits on the side of that box and pumps microwaves into the box.

Learn more about states of matter and changes of state. Another important application of microwaves is in communication. Microwaves can be focused on a narrow beam, like a flashlight. Microwaves are used to make secure and point-to-point communication, so people on the side are not able to pick up that transmission. There is a need to have a direct line of sight with microwave communications. These are tall towers with sort of odd cone-shaped devices, and they point in one direction or another.

By the way, most cellular phones at one point or another, and also satellite communication, use microwave relays. So, anybody can listen in to the conversation, which is why cell phone conversations are not secure, even though the point-to-point microwave communication is. Radar uses the reflection of microwaves off solid objects.

A radar antenna often acts as both the transmitter and the receiver. Directions, distance, and the velocity of the object can be determined by the radar. Modern military radar is amazing. Radar can be jammed in a number of different ways. One is to simply broadcast a very high-intensity microwave beam, which swamps the radar detector. Passive remote sensing refers to the sensing of electromagnetic waves that did not originate from the satellite or instrument itself.

The sensor is merely a passive observer collecting electromagnetic radiation. Passive remote sensing instruments onboard satellites have revolutionized weather forecasting by providing a global view of weather patterns and surface temperatures. In , using long, L-band microwaves, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, scientists at Bell Labs, made an incredible discovery quite by accident: they detected background noise using a special low-noise antenna.

The strange thing about the noise was that it was coming from every direction and did not seem to vary in intensity much at all. If this static were from something on our planet, such as radio transmissions from a nearby airport control tower, it would come only from one direction, not everywhere. The Bell Lab scientists soon realized that they had serendipitously discovered the cosmic microwave background radiation.

This radiation, which fills the entire universe, is a clue to its beginning, known as the Big Bang. This light, emitted Top of Page Next: Infrared Waves. Retrieved [insert date - e. Science Mission Directorate. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This Doppler-radar image seen on TV weather news uses microwaves for local weather forecasting.

Shown here is Hurricane Claudette's eye-wall making landfall. Credit: NOAA. This image shows sea ice breaking off the shores of Alaska.