• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Science / Can microwaves escape through the mesh holes in glass door of the microwave oven?

Can microwaves escape through the mesh holes in glass door of the microwave oven?

March 17, 2020 by Karen Hill

Microwaves can pass through glass and plastic, but they can’t pass through metal.

Strangely, they also can’t get through a hole that’s significantly smaller than their wavelength, so the fine metal mesh keeps them inside the oven, while letting some light out.

In other words, your microwave oven is safe and your brain won’t fry if you put your head too close to the glass door. Besides, microwaves are just radio waves, and definitely not radiation like most of use assume.

Related Facts

  • What Makes a Container Microwave Safe and Why Do They Still Get Hot?
  • How Do Microwaves Cook Food From the Inside Out?
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed the World
  • Who Made the First Microwave Oven and When?
  • Can the Microwaves From a Microwave Oven Leak Out and Cook People?
  • How Do Ants and Other Small Insects Survive Being Zapped In the Microwave and Why Do They Escape Unharmed?

Filed Under: Science

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What’s the difference between neon lights and fluorescent lights?
Next Post: Why is putting metal in the microwave oven dangerous and are metal spoons safer than knives? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy