If visible light has more energy than microwaves, why isn't visible light dangerous?
Light waves are a type of electromagnetic wave and they fall between 600-700 nm long. Microwaves are less energetic but seem to be more dangerous than visible light. Is visible light dangerous at all and why not?
visible-light electromagnetic-radiation microwaves
add a comment |
Light waves are a type of electromagnetic wave and they fall between 600-700 nm long. Microwaves are less energetic but seem to be more dangerous than visible light. Is visible light dangerous at all and why not?
visible-light electromagnetic-radiation microwaves
1
how are microwaves dangerous?
– ZeroTheHero
2 hours ago
Related : Why do we use microwaves in microwave ovens ?
– StephenG
2 hours ago
@ZeroTheHero : depends on the intensity of microwave radiation. If it can cook our meals, it can cook us :-(. For example, it can cause blindness and sterility through thermal effect. See osha.gov/SLTC/radiofrequencyradiation/hazards.html
– akhmeteli
1 hour ago
add a comment |
Light waves are a type of electromagnetic wave and they fall between 600-700 nm long. Microwaves are less energetic but seem to be more dangerous than visible light. Is visible light dangerous at all and why not?
visible-light electromagnetic-radiation microwaves
Light waves are a type of electromagnetic wave and they fall between 600-700 nm long. Microwaves are less energetic but seem to be more dangerous than visible light. Is visible light dangerous at all and why not?
visible-light electromagnetic-radiation microwaves
visible-light electromagnetic-radiation microwaves
asked 2 hours ago
suse
1544
1544
1
how are microwaves dangerous?
– ZeroTheHero
2 hours ago
Related : Why do we use microwaves in microwave ovens ?
– StephenG
2 hours ago
@ZeroTheHero : depends on the intensity of microwave radiation. If it can cook our meals, it can cook us :-(. For example, it can cause blindness and sterility through thermal effect. See osha.gov/SLTC/radiofrequencyradiation/hazards.html
– akhmeteli
1 hour ago
add a comment |
1
how are microwaves dangerous?
– ZeroTheHero
2 hours ago
Related : Why do we use microwaves in microwave ovens ?
– StephenG
2 hours ago
@ZeroTheHero : depends on the intensity of microwave radiation. If it can cook our meals, it can cook us :-(. For example, it can cause blindness and sterility through thermal effect. See osha.gov/SLTC/radiofrequencyradiation/hazards.html
– akhmeteli
1 hour ago
1
1
how are microwaves dangerous?
– ZeroTheHero
2 hours ago
how are microwaves dangerous?
– ZeroTheHero
2 hours ago
Related : Why do we use microwaves in microwave ovens ?
– StephenG
2 hours ago
Related : Why do we use microwaves in microwave ovens ?
– StephenG
2 hours ago
@ZeroTheHero : depends on the intensity of microwave radiation. If it can cook our meals, it can cook us :-(. For example, it can cause blindness and sterility through thermal effect. See osha.gov/SLTC/radiofrequencyradiation/hazards.html
– akhmeteli
1 hour ago
@ZeroTheHero : depends on the intensity of microwave radiation. If it can cook our meals, it can cook us :-(. For example, it can cause blindness and sterility through thermal effect. See osha.gov/SLTC/radiofrequencyradiation/hazards.html
– akhmeteli
1 hour ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
If you stare at the Sun you’ll go blind. And if you spend a lot of time in the sun, you’re likely to get skin cancers. So visible light seems plenty dangerous to me.
Some of the damage may actually be from infrared and ultraviolet light, but these are close in frequency to visible light and very far from microwaves.
By the way, the intensity also matters, not just the frequency. In terms of photons, it matters not only how energetic each photon is, but also how many photons are arriving per second.
1
not to forget laser guns,
– anna v
1 hour ago
@annav I started a fire at DESY with a CW polarimeter laser, and burned myself with a pulsed polarimeter laser on the other side of the ring.
– JEB
1 hour ago
@JEB, well done sir!!!
– niels nielsen
25 mins ago
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["$", "$"], ["\\(","\\)"]]);
});
});
}, "mathjax-editing");
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "151"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fphysics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f452592%2fif-visible-light-has-more-energy-than-microwaves-why-isnt-visible-light-danger%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
If you stare at the Sun you’ll go blind. And if you spend a lot of time in the sun, you’re likely to get skin cancers. So visible light seems plenty dangerous to me.
Some of the damage may actually be from infrared and ultraviolet light, but these are close in frequency to visible light and very far from microwaves.
By the way, the intensity also matters, not just the frequency. In terms of photons, it matters not only how energetic each photon is, but also how many photons are arriving per second.
1
not to forget laser guns,
– anna v
1 hour ago
@annav I started a fire at DESY with a CW polarimeter laser, and burned myself with a pulsed polarimeter laser on the other side of the ring.
– JEB
1 hour ago
@JEB, well done sir!!!
– niels nielsen
25 mins ago
add a comment |
If you stare at the Sun you’ll go blind. And if you spend a lot of time in the sun, you’re likely to get skin cancers. So visible light seems plenty dangerous to me.
Some of the damage may actually be from infrared and ultraviolet light, but these are close in frequency to visible light and very far from microwaves.
By the way, the intensity also matters, not just the frequency. In terms of photons, it matters not only how energetic each photon is, but also how many photons are arriving per second.
1
not to forget laser guns,
– anna v
1 hour ago
@annav I started a fire at DESY with a CW polarimeter laser, and burned myself with a pulsed polarimeter laser on the other side of the ring.
– JEB
1 hour ago
@JEB, well done sir!!!
– niels nielsen
25 mins ago
add a comment |
If you stare at the Sun you’ll go blind. And if you spend a lot of time in the sun, you’re likely to get skin cancers. So visible light seems plenty dangerous to me.
Some of the damage may actually be from infrared and ultraviolet light, but these are close in frequency to visible light and very far from microwaves.
By the way, the intensity also matters, not just the frequency. In terms of photons, it matters not only how energetic each photon is, but also how many photons are arriving per second.
If you stare at the Sun you’ll go blind. And if you spend a lot of time in the sun, you’re likely to get skin cancers. So visible light seems plenty dangerous to me.
Some of the damage may actually be from infrared and ultraviolet light, but these are close in frequency to visible light and very far from microwaves.
By the way, the intensity also matters, not just the frequency. In terms of photons, it matters not only how energetic each photon is, but also how many photons are arriving per second.
answered 2 hours ago
G. Smith
4,636919
4,636919
1
not to forget laser guns,
– anna v
1 hour ago
@annav I started a fire at DESY with a CW polarimeter laser, and burned myself with a pulsed polarimeter laser on the other side of the ring.
– JEB
1 hour ago
@JEB, well done sir!!!
– niels nielsen
25 mins ago
add a comment |
1
not to forget laser guns,
– anna v
1 hour ago
@annav I started a fire at DESY with a CW polarimeter laser, and burned myself with a pulsed polarimeter laser on the other side of the ring.
– JEB
1 hour ago
@JEB, well done sir!!!
– niels nielsen
25 mins ago
1
1
not to forget laser guns,
– anna v
1 hour ago
not to forget laser guns,
– anna v
1 hour ago
@annav I started a fire at DESY with a CW polarimeter laser, and burned myself with a pulsed polarimeter laser on the other side of the ring.
– JEB
1 hour ago
@annav I started a fire at DESY with a CW polarimeter laser, and burned myself with a pulsed polarimeter laser on the other side of the ring.
– JEB
1 hour ago
@JEB, well done sir!!!
– niels nielsen
25 mins ago
@JEB, well done sir!!!
– niels nielsen
25 mins ago
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to Physics Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Some of your past answers have not been well-received, and you're in danger of being blocked from answering.
Please pay close attention to the following guidance:
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fphysics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f452592%2fif-visible-light-has-more-energy-than-microwaves-why-isnt-visible-light-danger%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
1
how are microwaves dangerous?
– ZeroTheHero
2 hours ago
Related : Why do we use microwaves in microwave ovens ?
– StephenG
2 hours ago
@ZeroTheHero : depends on the intensity of microwave radiation. If it can cook our meals, it can cook us :-(. For example, it can cause blindness and sterility through thermal effect. See osha.gov/SLTC/radiofrequencyradiation/hazards.html
– akhmeteli
1 hour ago