How Does Infrared Radiation Relate to Heat?

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SUMMARY

Infrared radiation is directly associated with heat through the emission of energy from bodies at various temperatures, as described by Planck's law. Bodies at approximately 300K, or room temperature, emit radiation primarily in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, with peak wavelengths around a few micrometers. This relationship allows for temperature measurement by analyzing the emitted spectrum of a body.

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  • Understanding of Planck's law
  • Basic knowledge of electromagnetic spectrum
  • Familiarity with thermal radiation concepts
  • Knowledge of temperature measurement techniques
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  • Research Planck's law and its applications in thermal radiation
  • Explore the properties of the electromagnetic spectrum, focusing on infrared radiation
  • Study methods for measuring temperature using infrared spectroscopy
  • Investigate the principles of black body radiation and its significance in physics
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How exactly is infrared associated with heat? Is it just that infrared waves are emmited out of our body and when they contact something they turn to heat rather then being reflected?
 
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All bodies radiate energy. The frequency (or, equivalently, the wavelength) depends on the temperature.
This is described by Planck's law

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_body_radiation

It turns out that a body held at a temperature of about 300K (i.e. room temperature) will emitt radiation with wavenlengths that are in the infrared region of the EM spectrum (the maximum will be at a wavelength of a few micrometer).

This also means that you can measure the temperature of a body by measuring its spectrum.
 

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