4.08 explain how emission and absorption of radiation are related to surface and temperature

–          Light, shiny surfaces are good reflectors of IR and so are poor at absorbing it.

–          Dark, matt surfaces are poor reflectors and good at absorbing IR.

–          This means that placed next to a heat source, a dark object would heat up faster than a light one.

–          Dark matt surfaces are also best at emitting IR. This means that a hot object with a light shiny surface will emit less IR than a dark matt object at the same temperature.

–          Hotter objects emit more IR per second. The type of EM wave emitted also changes with temperature – the higher the temperature the higher the frequency of EM wave emitted.