1. What is Wien's Displacement Law?

Wien's Displacement Law describes the relationship between the temperature of a black body and the wavelength at which it emits the most radiation. It helps us understand why hotter objects appear bluer and cooler objects appear redder.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses Wien's Displacement Law:

Where:

• \( \lambda_{\text{max}} \) — Peak wavelength in nanometers (nm)
• \( T \) — Temperature in Kelvin (K)
• 2.89776829 × 10⁶ — Wien's displacement constant in nm·K

Explanation: The higher the temperature, the shorter the peak wavelength of emitted radiation.

3. Importance of Wavelength Calculation

Details: Understanding this relationship helps explain star colors, light bulb filaments, and many thermal radiation phenomena in everyday life.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter temperature in Kelvin (must be greater than 0). The calculator will show the peak wavelength in nanometers.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why does temperature affect color?
A: Hotter objects emit more energy at shorter wavelengths (bluer colors), while cooler objects emit more at longer wavelengths (redder colors).

Q2: What's the wavelength of sunlight?
A: The Sun's surface temperature is about 5778 K, giving a peak wavelength around 502 nm (greenish-blue).

Q3: Can we see all these wavelengths?
A: The human eye sees wavelengths from about 380 nm (violet) to 740 nm (red). Some objects emit mostly infrared (invisible to us).

Q4: Why do some hot things glow red instead of blue?
A: Very hot things (like welding arcs) do glow blue-white. Red-hot objects are cooler than white-hot ones.

Q5: How is this used in astronomy?
A: Astronomers use star colors to estimate their temperatures - blue stars are hottest, red stars are coolest.