Why does microwaving continuously for sixty seconds heat food so much more effectively than two consecutive thirty-second cycles?

Question

I noticed that my tea tends to be much hotter when I microwave it continuously than when I take it out half-way through. This result seems to be consistent regardless of material. Even if I open the microwave just for a quick second, whatever I’m microwaving needs significantly more time to heat. Why is this?

In: Physics

Answer 1

The heating system in your microwave has to warm up and takes a few seconds to get to max heat, so microwaving continuously for 60 seconds would blast more radiation than two separate periods.

This is similar to how driving an old car at max speed for 60 seconds would go farther than in two 30-second drives, because the car will take some time to accelerate