College Physics (4th Edition)

Published by McGraw-Hill Education
ISBN 10: 0073512141
ISBN 13: 978-0-07351-214-3

Chapter 27 - Section 27.2 - Blackbody Radiation - Checkpoint - Page 1017: 27.2

Answer

At full power the light looks white, at lower power red light is emitted.

Work Step by Step

At full power, the filament is hot enough to emit EM radiation across the entire visible spectrum, so the light looks white. At lower power, the filament temperature is lower. As a result, the peak of the emitted EM radiation is shifted toward lower frequencies, which increases the relative amount of red light in the mixture relative to other colors.
Update this answer!

You can help us out by revising, improving and updating this answer.

Update this answer

After you claim an answer you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. An editor will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback.