Absorbing radiation

• What is a perfect black body

  An object that absorbs all of the radiation falling upon it

  A perfect black body does not reflect or transmit any radiation
• Is a black body a good or bad emitter of radiation

  Best possible emitter
• How does temperature affect the amount of infrared radiation a body (object) emits and absorbs

  All bodies emit and absorb radiation. Hotter objects emit more radiation

  Temperature does not affect how much infrared radiation is absorbed
• Why do hot objects cool down, in terms of emission/absorption of infrared radiation

  Hot objects emit more infrared radiation than they absorb

  This means that their total thermal energy will decrease causing them to cool down
• How does the temperature of an object affect the wavelength of radiation it emits?

  As the temperature of an object increases, the wavelength of radiation emitted by the object decreases
• What does intensity mean

  The measure of the power of the radiation, per unit area. So a higher intensity means more radiation is emitted