Final answer:
Nonflaming combustion produces a smoldering glow on a material's surface, often seen as glowing embers in a fireplace, which represent high kinetic energy and involve the transfer of thermal energy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The mode of combustion that produces a smoldering glow on a material's surface is known as Nonflaming combustion. This type of combustion occurs without the presence of a visible flame, and it involves a slow, low-temperature, flameless burning. It is characterized by the release of heat and often occurs in materials that are undergoing a process of smoldering, such as a log that has burnt down to embers in a fireplace.
When observing a log burn in a fireplace, the glowing embers represent a state of high kinetic energy. The embers glow a bright orange and whitish-yellow, which are characteristics of the blackbody radiation spectrum based on the temperature of the embers. The heat released by the glowing embers can be considered a transfer of thermal energy to the surroundings, while the glowing appearance is tied to the kinetic energy of the particles within the embers. This relates to the quantum theory which states that the intensity of the light emitted by a blackbody is a function of its temperature and corresponds to the distribution of kinetic energies among the particles.