Radiation (Cambridge O Level Physics)

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Dan MG

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Thermal Radiation

  • All objects give off thermal radiation
    • The hotter an object is, the more thermal radiation it emits
    • Thermal radiation is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum called infrared
  • Thermal radiation is the only way in which heat can travel through a vacuum
    • It is the way in which heat reaches us from the Sun through the vacuum of space
  • The colour of an object affects how good it is at emitting and absorbing thermal radiation:

Thermal Equilibrium

  • As an object absorbs thermal radiation it will become hotter
  • As it gets hotter it will also emit more thermal radiation
    • The temperature of a body increases when the body absorbs radiation faster than it emits radiation

  • Eventually, an object will reach a point of constant temperature where it is absorbing radiation at the same rate as it is emitting radiation
    • At this point, the object will be in thermal equilibrium

Radiation in Equilibrium

thermal-equilibrium, IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes

An object will remain at a constant temperature if it absorbs heat at the same rate as it loses heat

  • If the rate at which an object receives energy is less than the rate at which it transfers energy away then the object will cool down

  • If the rate at which an object transfers energy away is less than the rate at which it receives energy then the object will heat up

  • The process will always move towards thermal equilibrium

Effects of Different Surfaces

  • The amount of thermal radiation emitted by an object depends on a number of factors:
    • The surface colour of the object (black = more radiation)
    • The texture of the surface (shiny surfaces = more radiation)
    • The surface area of the object (greater surface area = more area for radiation to be emitted from)

Absorbing and Emitting Powers of Different Coloured Objects

Colour Absorbing Emitting
Black Good absorber Good emitter
Dull / dark Reasonable absorber Reasonable emitter
White Poor absorber Poor emitter
Shiny Very poor absorber (reflects radiation) Very poor emitter

  • Black objects are very good at absorbing thermal radiation, for example black clothes make you feel hotter in sunny weather
    • Black objects are also very good at emitting thermal radiation, which is the reason that chargers for laptops, and radiators in cars are coloured black - it helps them to cool down

  • Shiny objects reflect thermal radiation and so absorb very little
    • They also emit very little, though, and so take longer to cool down

 

Leslie Cube Emission

Demonstrating radiation, IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes

An image of a hot object taken in both Infrared and visible light. The black surface emits more thermal radiation (infrared) than the shiny surface

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Dan MG

Author: Dan MG

Expertise: Physics

Dan graduated with a First-class Masters degree in Physics at Durham University, specialising in cell membrane biophysics. After being awarded an Institute of Physics Teacher Training Scholarship, Dan taught physics in secondary schools in the North of England before moving to SME. Here, he carries on his passion for writing enjoyable physics questions and helping young people to love physics.