Final answer:
When the temperature of a blackbody increases, the peak of its emission spectrum shifts toward shorter wavelengths, transitioning from red to white to blue. The intensity of radiation also increases as the temperature rises.
Step-by-step explanation:
As a blackbody gets hotter, the peak of its wavelength spectrum shifts due to a physical relationship known as Wien's Law (Eq. 13.5), which quantifies the peak wavelength as a function of temperature. When the temperature of a blackbody increases, there is an increase in the kinetic energies at a microscopic scale, allowing for the emission of higher-energy photons that have shorter wavelengths. This results in the peak of the blackbody spectrum moving towards shorter wavelengths, causing the blackbody to shift from a red appearance to white, and eventually to a blue tint as temperature climbs. Additionally, with higher temperature, the overall emission intensity of the blackbody increases, and the shape of the spectrum indicates more high frequency, short wavelength, radiation. This phenomenon is observable in metals that glow red when heated, appearing white hot at very high temperatures as all visible wavelengths become significantly intense.