thermal radiation
Temperature-based energy waves
Thermal radiation is energy emitted by matter because of its temperature.
All objects above absolute zero radiate heat in the form of electromagnetic waves—the hotter the object, the more intense the radiation and the shorter its wavelength.
A glowing ember, the warmth from a campfire, sunlight reaching Earth—all are thermal radiation.
Unlike conduction or convection, it requires no medium and travels through vacuum.
- Stefan-Boltzmann lawRadiated power proportional to temperature's fourth
- temperatureMeasured heat intensity
- emissionDischarged substance or act
- heatTransferred thermal energy
- waste heatUnusable thermal energy byproduct
heat transfer · blackbody · wavelength · thermometer · electromagnetic wave · red-hot · glowing embers · warm glow · infrared · sunlight · photons · thermodynamics · hot · furnace · sun · red giant · glow · spectrum
- Electromagnetic Wavesvisible light, radio waves, infrared light, ultraviolet light, gamma rays
- heatheat transfer, heatwave, convection, insulators, conductors
- Atomic Bombingatomic bomb, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, atomic bombing, Little Boy
- Heat Scienceheat transfer, heat capacity, heat flow, specific heat, latent heat
- radiant energyphoton, photons, sunlight, visible light, radiance
- thermal thingshot spring, geyser, heat wave, volcanic vent, hydrothermal vent
thermal radiationconduction
Heat transfer through contact
convection · thermal conduction · heat conduction · natural convection
radiant, radiate, thermal, radiation, radiator, radius, radiating, radiators, radiated