111k views
4 votes
The sun has a surface temperature of about 5800K. At what wavelength does it emit the maximum intensity of light according to Wien's Law?

a) Ultraviolet range
b) Visible range
c) Infrared range
d) X-ray range

User Fofole
by
8.7k points

1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

Using Wien's Law and the sun's surface temperature of 5800K, the wavelength of maximum intensity is approximately 500.0 nm, indicating that the sun emits the most intense light in the visible range. The correct answer is b) Visible range.

Step-by-step explanation:

The sun has a surface temperature of about 5800K, so according to Wien's Law, we can determine the wavelength at which the sun emits the maximum intensity of light. According to this law and the given surface temperature, the peak wavelength of solar emission is around 500.0 nm.

This value falls within the range of visible light, which is between 400 and 800 nm. Therefore, it is the visible range that contains the wavelength of maximum intensity for the sun's light.

According to Wien's Law, the wavelength at which an object emits the maximum intensity of light is inversely proportional to its surface temperature. The Sun has a surface temperature of about 5800K, which corresponds to a peak wavelength of about 520 nanometers.

This is near the middle of the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Therefore, the correct answer is b) Visible range.

User OkTalk
by
8.6k points