blackbody radiation

American  

[blak-bahd-ee ray-dee-ay-shuhn] / ˈblækˌbɑd i ˌreɪ diˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. Physics. the electromagnetic radiation and spectrum of light emitted by an object, such as a toaster's heating element, according to its temperature, as described by Planck's radiation law.

---

blackbody radiation Scientific  

1. The electromagnetic radiation that a perfect blackbody would give off at a given temperature. A warm blackbody would emit radiation with a higher average frequency than a cooler one.

---

Example Sentences

Although Planck was pleased he had resolved the blackbody radiation paradox, he was disturbed that to do so, he needed to assume the vibrating atoms required quantized energies, which he was unable to explain.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

A good approximation of a blackbody that can be used to observe blackbody radiation is a metal oven that can be heated to very high temperatures.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

One of the well-known historical examples involves the discovery of the Planck spectrum of blackbody radiation, which could not have been explained by classical physics and which ushered in quantum mechanics.

From Scientific American • Aug. 28, 2018

What property of light, as described in the quantum explanation of blackbody radiation, accounts for this photoelectric process?

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Frequency is the rate at which a vibration occurs that constitutes a wave, Planck discovered the concept of blackbody radiation.

From Scientific American • Oct. 14, 2013