Temperature and Peak Wavelength
Quantitatively, the relationship between temperature and peak wavelength of thermal
radiation - for a hot plate, a star, or anything else in the universe - is:
lpeakT = 2.897 x 10 -3 m K,
where lpeak is measured in meters and T is measured
in degrees Kelvin
(273.15 K = 0 C = 32 F).
Click here
for an example of how to calculate peak wavelength.
Practice 2. At room temperature, 300 K, what is the peak
wavelength of radiation emitted by the hot plate in Angstroms (1 Angstrom = 10-10
meters)? If the plate glows a dull red (lpeak =
6500 Angstroms), what is the plate's temperature?
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Practice 3. The Sun has a peak wavelength of thermal radiation
lpeak = 5300 Angstroms. What is the Sun's
average temperature?
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