Does thermal radiation involve ultraviolet x ray and jamma ray

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the nature of thermal radiation and whether it includes ultraviolet, x-rays, and gamma rays, as well as the common understanding of thermal radiation primarily as heat or light. The scope includes conceptual clarifications and some technical explanations related to radiation spectra.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants assert that thermal radiation involves ultraviolet, x-rays, and gamma rays, but with varying degrees of significance across different temperatures.
  • One participant notes that the majority of thermal radiation is in the infrared range, with visible light becoming significant only at very high temperatures.
  • A participant corrects the spelling of "jamma" to "gamma," suggesting that the original poster may have misheard the term.
  • There is a humorous exchange regarding the potential mispronunciation of "gamma" and the implications of how it might have been taught.
  • Another participant discusses the irregularities of English pronunciation, emphasizing the complexities involved in understanding phonetics.
  • A later reply mentions the importance of examining the spectrum of black body radiation in terms of frequency, suggesting a resource for further exploration.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the inclusion of gamma rays in thermal radiation, and there is no consensus on the correct pronunciation or spelling of "gamma." The discussion remains unresolved regarding the implications of these terms in the context of thermal radiation.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations in the discussion regarding the assumptions made about the terminology and the pronunciation of "gamma." Additionally, the exploration of radiation spectra is not fully resolved, as participants reference external resources without reaching a definitive conclusion.

taregg
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does thermal radiation involve ultraviolet x ray and jamma ray or just heat of light...
 
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It involves all of them. Some more than others though.

The image below shows the amount of radiation across all wavelengths for a few different temperatures.

As you can see, the vast majority is infra-red, and this is normally the typical 'thermal radiation' heat you talk of. Only when something gets reaaaally hot does it start to emit most of its energy as visible light.

For reference, the sun is just less than 6000K, so a lot of its radiation is visible to the human eye.

black-body-radiation-curves.png
 
There aren't any 'jamma' rays. There are 'gamma' rays (with a hard 'g')

Unless you pledged 'Phi Slamma Jamma' in college.
 
Haha. The more worrying thing is that this person is surely just spelling it how it sounds. And if they think it says 'jamma', then that must be the way their teacher is saying it to them...!
 
sa1988 said:
Haha. The more worrying thing is that this person is surely just spelling it how it sounds. And if they think it says 'jamma', then that must be the way their teacher is saying it to them...!

If that's the case, how do you explain the (correct) double m? May be the j is just a typo?
 
dauto said:
If that's the case, how do you explain the (correct) double m? May be the j is just a typo?

Well...

My logic was a silly and jestful wild guess in the first place, but if you'd like an explanation then I'll add that I was going on the assumption that maybe this person (or their teacher) had thought the word was pronounced 'jamma', which is definitely a possibility, considering the ways the letter 'g' can sometimes be pronounced.

And in the pronunciation of 'jamma', it's surely only natural to spell it with a double m.
 
In English ga, go, gu are all pronounced with a hard g. ge and gi are usually pronounced with a soft g, but not always.
 
Indeed! But not everybody knows this.
 
mathman said:
In English ga, go, gu are all pronounced with a hard g. ge and gi are usually pronounced with a soft g, but not always.

OMG Whatever you do, never try to find 'rules' for English Pron(o)unciation. English is sooo irregular, it will drive you mad.
 
  • #10
It is also instructive to see the spectrum of black body radiation, given in terms of frequency rather than wavelength.
See this YouTube video.
Note the scale that's used here, which stretches the low frequencies and compresses the high frequencies, before trying to come to any numerical conclusion.
 

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