BLACK BODY RADIATION

PHYSICS REPORT

By: Justin Jap

CITA HATI CHRISTIAN - WEST CAMPUS

A. OBJECTIVES
The objective of this experiment is to find out the difference of amount of heat
absorbed by different colored bodies. It is also to approve the characteristics of
black body that they absorb heat the best while white surfaces are worst at
absorbing heat.

B. APPARATUS
- Thermometer
- Spray paint (Black, Gray, White)
- 3 Cardboard (60x80cm)
- Scissors / cutter
- Ruler
- UHU liquid
- Timer

C. HYPOTHESIS
The black cardboard box will absorb the most heat, leaving it with the highest
temperature. The grey box will absorb less heat than the black box, but it will
absorb more heat than the white box. It will have a temperature in between of the
temperature of the black and white box. The white box will absorb heat the least.
It will have the lowest temperature compared to the other boxes. This is due to
the characteristics of a black body that absorbs heat the best. A white body will
have the opposite result. It will repel heat the best. All of this is because that
black surfaces absorbs all wavelength of light and coverts them into heat, while
white surfaces reflect all wavelengths of light which means there is no light
converted to heat.

D. VARIABLES
Independent variable is the variable that is changed in a scientific experiment to
test the effects on the dependent variable. In this experiment, the independent
variable is time.
Dependent variable is the variable being tested and measured in a
scientific experiment. In this experiment, the dependent variable is heat and
temperature.
Control variable is what is held constant. In this experiment, the control variable
is the surface area of the boxes

E. PROCEDURES
1. Design a box using homogenous material, such as cardboard
2. Transform each cardboard into a 20 cm x 20 cm cube
 3. Spray each cardboard box with different colors (one black, one gray and one
white)
4. Prepare each box and put them under the sunlight for one minute
5. Take note the temperature inside the box using the thermometer
6. Let the box cool off until it reaches room temperature
7. Repeat step 2-4, increasing the time put under the sunlight by 1 minute every
try

F. DATA AND ANALYSIS

Black (Room temperature: 27.7°C)

Time (second) Area of Absorbance (m2) Temperature (K) Heat (J)

60 304.5 7056.454

120 305 14205.83

180 306.1 21617.82

240 306.4 28936.93

300 308.3 37076.73

0.24
360 308.5 44607.64

420 308.4 51974.8

480 307.2 58480.65

540 308.2 66651.57

600 309.8 75607.17

Grey (Room temperature: 27.9°C)

Time (second) Area of Absorbance (m2) Temperature (K) Heat (J)

60 304.8 7084.304

120 304.6 14131.46

180 305.5 21448.82

240 306.1 28823.76

300
0.24 306.5 36218.4

360 306.2 43292.17

420 306.8 50904.57

480 306.2 57722.89

540 306.4 65108.08

600 307.2 73100.81

White (Room temperature: 28°C)

Time (second) Area of Absorbance (m2) Temperature (K) Heat (J)

60 303.2 6936.72

120 304.4 14094.38

180 305.2 21364.7

240 305.2 28486.26

300 305.1 35561.18

360
0.24 305.8 43066.4

420 305.4 49981.76

480 305.5 57196.86

540 306 64768.76

600 306.1 72059.4

Calculation
𝑄 = 𝑒𝜎𝐴𝑇 4 𝑡
emissivity for black body= 1
emissivity for white body= 0.2
emissivity for grey body= 0.7

Where,
Q = Heat energy (joules)
e = Emissivity
A = Total surface area of the black body
T = Absolute temperature (K)
σ = Stefan – Boltzmann constant (5.7 x 10-8 Wm-2K-)
t = Time (seconds)

Discussion

Based on the data above, we can see that the black body have the highest
temperature compared to the other bodies. This is due to the characteristic of black
surfaced material which are absorbent to both infrared wavelengths and visible
wavelengths. All of the wavelengths absorbed are then converted into heat, which is
why the black cardboard box have a higher temperature than other boxes. This
however is the opposite for white surfaces. White surfaces, in this case the white
cardboard box, tend to reflect all wavelengths of light, which means that none of the
light is converted to heat. This results in the white box showing the lowest
temperature compared to the other boxes. The grey box on the other hand has a
gray surface which absorbs some of the wavelengths of light. This puts it in between
of the black and white box. The temperature is thus higher but not as notably as the
black box.

The temperatures recorded showed that it is directly proportional to the time. As time
increases, temperature also increases. This however isn’t always the case as seen
above (example: Black cardboard box during 6 until 8 minutes) due to uncontrolled
factors such as the sun blocking the cloud and temperature of surrounding.

With the results above, we can then calculate the amount of heat energy that is
produced by the boxes. Using Stefan-Boltzmann derived an equation that predicts
the total power radiated from the black body at a certain temperature:

𝑃 = 𝑒𝜎𝐴𝑇 4
Where,
P = Power radiated (Watt)
A = Total surface area of the black body
T = Absolute temperature (K)
σ = Stefan – Boltzmann constant (5.7 x 10-8 Wm-2K-4)
e = Emissivity

And as we know, the formula of energy is

𝑄=𝑃𝑥𝑡
Where,
Q = Heat energy (Joules)
P = Power radiated (Watt)
t = Time (Seconds)

Which produces the following formula:

𝑄 = 𝑒𝜎𝐴𝑇 4 𝑡
Which is then used to calculate the total heat energy produced by the boxes.

G. APPLICATION
This experiment proves that black and dull surfaces absorbs heat better than
brighter and shinier surfaces. This conclusion is widely used in our daily world.
Some examples of this are the preference of white painted roofs rather than black
painted roofs. The white painted roofs have shown a 24°C drop in rooftop
temperature compared to black roofs. This can be applied for those who prefer to
have cooler temperatures in their houses. However, black roofs may also benefit
in the winter as more heat is absorbed from the sunlight, keeping indoor
temperatures warmer than having a white roof.
H. SYNTHESIS
Knowing the results of this experiment means that we can take advantage of
black body’s characteristics. We can create a cube to hang wet clothes so that it
dries faster. The cube is 2 meters in height, 2 meters in length and 2 meters in
width that will be colored in black.

Apparatus:
- 5 black polycarbonates (200 cm x 200 cm each)
- 20 aluminium hollows (200 cm in length each)
- Super glue
Procedure:
1. Find a good spot to place the cube (must be under direct sunlight)
2. Take the aluminium hollows and create a frame for the cube (top, front,
back, left, right) (it can be any shape such as N or |X|), stick together using
super glue
3. Stick each polycarbonate to the aluminium frame
4. Stick an aluminium hollow across the cube as a hanger for the wet clothes
5. Hang freshly washed clothes and wait until it is dried.
Function:
The function of the cube is to help clothes dry faster using direct sunlight as heat
source. We have seen that black surfaces absorb heat the most which will help
the clothes to dry faster due to the black polycarbonates.

Analysis:
We will use the temperature from the cardboard box experiment as reference to
the amount of energy that will be produced by the cube:

(Room temperature: 27.7°C)

Time (second) Area of Absorbance (m2) Temperature (K) Heat (J)

60 303.2 588037.9

120 304.4 1183819

180 305.2 1801485

240 305.2 2411410

300 305.1 3089728

360
20 305.8 3717304

420 305.4 4331234

480 305.5 4873387

540 306 5554298

600 306.1 6300598

 From the data that we speculated, we can produce as much as 6,300,598 Joules
of heat energy in just 10 minutes under direct sunlight. This will greatly help the
clothes to dry completely in a shorter amount of time.

I. CONCLUSION
The result of this experiment showed appropriate results with the hypothesis
above. The characteristics of a black body is approved by the results of this
experiment. This experiment teaches us how a color can make a difference to the
amount of heat energy produced. The result of this experiment can be applied in
our daily life as it is proven that different colors absorb different amount of heat.
This will be useful in applying black colors to get the maximum amount of heat
energy while applying white colors to get the least.