Question

I have looked up several explanations of microwaves and how they work but I am unclear on a few key parts of how they actually make the food hotter.

How I understand it now:
In addition to the light and the rotating plate inside the microwave unit there is something called a magnetron that generates microwaves and focuses them at whatever is on the plate. The nature of microwave waves is that they do not affect glass, some plastics and a few other things like metals which reflect the microwaves. The microwave wave that is generated by the magnetron enters one of the molecules of the food and "is converted to kinetic energy" (why? How? By what? What effects does that process have? Why does that kinetic energy make the food hotter?)

That’s it. Can someone please explain to me how the microwave wave makes food hot?
Options:
A) Microwaves directly heat up the molecules in food through friction caused by the wave motion.
B) Microwaves excite water molecules in the food, causing them to vibrate and generate heat through molecular friction.
C) Microwaves increase the temperature of the air inside the microwave, indirectly heating the food.
D) Microwaves ionize the molecules in the food, releasing energy that raises the temperature.

Answer 1

Microwaves make food hot by exciting water molecules through molecular friction.

Step-by-step explanation:

Microwaves make food hot by excite water molecules in the food, causing them to vibrate and generate heat through molecular friction. The microwaves are produced by a component called a magnetron. The microwave photons generated by the magnetron enter the water molecules in the food and transfer energy to them, increasing their rotational energies.