Chapter 8: Problem 25

Which type of EM wave does your body emit most strongly?

Short Answer

Expert verified

Answer: Infrared radiation

Step by step solution

Identify the information we have

To solve this problem, we first need to know the average temperature of a human body, which is approximately 37 degrees Celsius or 310 Kelvin.

Apply Wien's Law

Wien's Law relates the peak wavelength (λ) of an object's emitted radiation to its temperature (T) in Kelvin. The formula is given as: λ_max = (b / T) Where b is Wien's displacement constant, which is approximately 2.898 x 10^-3 mK.

Calculate the peak wavelength

Insert the temperature T = 310 K into Wien's Law: λ_max = (2.898 x 10^-3 mK) / (310 K) λ_max ≈ 9.35 x 10^-6 m So the peak wavelength emitted by the human body is approximately 9.35 micrometers.

Identify the corresponding electromagnetic wave

Now we need to find out the type of electromagnetic wave that corresponds to this wavelength. Electromagnetic waves are classified based on their wavelength, as follows: - Radio waves: λ > 1 mm - Microwaves: 1 mm > λ > 1 µm - Infrared waves: 1 µm > λ > 700 nm - Visible light: 700 nm > λ > 400 nm - Ultraviolet rays: 400 nm > λ > 10 nm - X-rays: 10 nm > λ > 0.01 nm - Gamma rays: λ < 0.01 nm Given that the peak wavelength emitted by the human body (9.35 µm) falls within the range of infrared waves, the human body emits infrared radiation most strongly.

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Which type of EM wave does your body emit most strongly?

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Identify the information we have

Apply Wien's Law

Calculate the peak wavelength

Identify the corresponding electromagnetic wave

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