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Chemistry  /  Chem 0775  ·  Atom · ~20 seconds

Blackbody Radiation as a Puzzle for Classical Physics

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Heated objects emit a continuous range of wavelengths whose peak shifts to shorter wavelengths as temperature rises, a pattern classical physics could not predict.

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A metal rod glows dull red when moderately hot and shifts toward white as it heats further, its peak wavelength moving shorter.

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Classical theory's failure was severe: it predicted infinite intensity at short wavelengths, an impossible result.