How radiation contributes to heat transfer Have you ever noticed how warm and flushed your face feels as you stand in front of a huge bonfire on a bitterly cold evening, while the surrounding air remains quite cold?
Somehow, energy from the fire is being transferred through the air with little effect upon the air itself. Your face, however, absorbs this energy and converts it to heat energy. Thus, you feel warm. This energy is known as radiant energy, or radiation. It travels in the form of waves that release energy when they are absorbed by an object. These waves have magnetic and electrical properties, which is why we call them electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic waves do not need a medium through which to travel. An example of a medium might be a telephone line or cable. Electromagnetic waves can even travel through a vacuum such as outer space. This can be proven by the fact that electromagnetic waves are emitted from the Sun, travel through space, and are felt here on Earth. These electromagnetic waves also travel very fast (approximately ). Lets now explore some characteristics of electromagnetic waves. (NOTE: For the remainder of this reading, we may refer to electromagnetic waves with t
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