Basic physics courses usually resort to explaining the color of astronomical bodies like stars in terms of their temperature as per Wien’s law of displacement. Looking at the peak of the spectrum for bodies capable of black body radiation may be an error. It would seem more suitable to consider this topic by means of reference to photon statistics

The well-established scientific theory of black body radiation simply must be taught as part of any physics course, even at the most basic level. An understanding of this crucial concept is indispensable in modern physics so it is paramount that it is taught effectively and with as little room for misinterpretation as possible. Continue reading →

The early beginning of black body radiation

In the late 19th and early 20th century a revolution in the understanding of the physical world took place and modern Physics evolved. Much of this revolution was inspired by studies about the nature of light. What was puzzling at the turn of the century was that some experiments seemed to show that light was a wave phenomenon involving energy propagated in the form of waves in some mysterious medium. Other experiments showed the existence of discrete particles carrying that energy. Those experiments were the ground of the black body radiation field. Of course this field is far more advanced today, but this was the beginning of everything.

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