GEOL 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Thermodynamics, Black-Body Radiation
Document Summary
Relative size of a degree f vs. a degree c compare the number of degrees between freezing and boiling: 1c=1. 8f (c x 1. 8) + 32 = f (f - 32)/1. 8 =c. Absolute zero: thermometers compare fahrenheit, celsius and kelvin scales. Third law of thermodynamics: it is impossible to cool a body to absolute zero by any finite process. Although one can approach absolute zero as closely as one desires, one cannot actually reach this limit. There are three ways of heat transfer in the atmosphere: Conduction: from warm to cold, from molecular motions, air is a poor conductor of heat. Radiation: blackbody radiation, basic laws of radiation, scientific methods, wien"s law. Earth is heated by visible radiation from the sin and cools by radiating infrared energy back to space. Most of its energy is in the uv-vis-ir portions of the spectrum. ~50% of the energy is in the visible region.
