An astronomer plots the intensity of the radiation emitted from an opaque object at a certain temperature versus its wavelength. As the object's temperature increases, the total amount of energy emitted all across the spectrum increases as the fourth power of the temperature. This is an illustration of
A) the Stefan-Boltzmann law.
B) Kepler's first law.
C) Bode's law.
D) Wien's displacement law.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Stefan-Boltzmann law states that the total energy radiated per unit surface area of a black body across all wavelengths is directly proportional to the fourth power of the black body's temperature. This law explains the observed increase in total energy emitted with temperature in the scenario described.

An Astronomer Plots the Intensity of the Radiation Emitted from an Opaque