Final answer:
The object would need to have a higher temperature to emit light waves instead of infrared due to the relationship between temperature and wavelength of emitted radiation.
Step-by-step explanation:
If an object that emits infrared waves were to emit light waves instead, its temperature would have to be higher. This is because as the temperature of an object rises, the wavelength at which the maximum power is emitted becomes shorter, which corresponds to higher frequency and energy. For instance, a burner on an electric stove set to a low temperature emits infrared radiation without visible light. As the temperature increases, the burner glows red, then orange-red, and could potentially glow yellow or blue-white at temperatures not achievable by ordinary stoves, which corresponds to visible light wavelengths.