Uploaded June 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
In this experiment I demonstrate how the colour of a hot object affects the amount of thermal radiation emitted by that object.
The two flasks are identical in all ways except for their colour. They are both filled with equal quantities of hot water at the same temperature.
The main way in which the flasks lose heat is through the processes of conduction and convection, but the black flask also loses an appreciable amount of heat due the emission of thermal radiation, as can be seen by comparing its temperature to that of the shiny flask.
In this experiment I demonstrate how the colour of a hot object affects the amount of thermal radiation emitted by that object.
The two flasks are identical in all ways except for their colour. They are both filled with equal quantities of hot water at the same temperature.
The main way in which the flasks lose heat is through the processes of conduction and convection, but the black flask also loses an appreciable amount of heat due the emission of thermal radiation, as can be seen by comparing its temperature to that of the shiny flask.
