In this activity, students apply the Stefan-Boltzmann equation and the principle of energy balance in steady state to find the steady state temperature of a black object in near-Earth orbit.
This activity follows Using the Stefan-Boltzmann law
You're in charge of designing a black cylindrical space capsule for a manned trip to the Moon. You need a volume you will be comfortable in, and you want the temperature to be cozy. What dimensions should your capsule be (assuming the entire surface is a uniform temperature), and how should it be oriented?
group Small Group Activity
30 min.
group Small Group Activity
10 min.
assignment Homework
Solve for the net power transferred between the two sheets.
Optional: Find the power through an \(N\)-layer sandwich.
computer Computer Simulation
30 min.
accessibility_new Kinesthetic
10 min.
format_list_numbered Sequence
face Lecture
120 min.
Planck distribution blackbody radiation photon statistical mechanics
These notes from the fourth week of Thermal and Statistical Physics cover blackbody radiation and the Planck distribution. They include a number of small group activities.face Lecture
30 min.
face Lecture
10 min.
group Small Group Activity
30 min.