Hi Olin,

Yes, that's what I was saying, the black object (at the same temperature)
would probably emit better than the white object. I say probably because I
don't know if all objects which are black at visible wavelengths are also
black bodies at IR.

It's a basic consequence of thermodynamics. If an object were a better
emitter than it is an absorber, it would spontaneously cool below the
ambient temperature. The other way around and it would spontaneously  get
warmer.

Sean

At 06:13 PM 2/27/01 -0500, you wrote:
> > Doesn't clothing effect the emissivity of a person? I would think that a
> > moderately sized pet (medium size dog) with black fur might emit more IR
> > than a person clothed in white,
>
>As an aside, black objects are better thermal radiation (black body)
>emitters than white objects.  This is a common misconception because black
>objects are also better thermal radiation absorbers.
>
>
>*****************************************************************
>Olin Lathrop, embedded systems consultant in Devens Massachusetts
>(978) 772-3129, olin@embedinc.com, http://www.embedinc.com
>
>--
>http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics
>(like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics

--
http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics
(like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics