- #1
Forestman
- 212
- 2
When objects are heated they produce blackbody radiation which varies with their temperature, and when the electrons in the orbitals of atoms are given energy they produce radiation at specific frequencies known as spectral lines. My question is this.
When an object, say a piece of mental is heated why does it produce blackbody radiation instead of its specific frequency of spectral lines that would result from its electrons jumping up, and then falling to a lower energy level? What happens with atoms that make blackbody radiation different from spectral line radiation? Why would the sun glow yellow instead of pink which is hydrogens spectral line color.
I understand that the answer is heat and temperature, but why?
When an object, say a piece of mental is heated why does it produce blackbody radiation instead of its specific frequency of spectral lines that would result from its electrons jumping up, and then falling to a lower energy level? What happens with atoms that make blackbody radiation different from spectral line radiation? Why would the sun glow yellow instead of pink which is hydrogens spectral line color.
I understand that the answer is heat and temperature, but why?