Suppose that the total surface area of a human body is 1.6 m ^2 and it emits radiation like an ideal radiator. Determine the amount of energy radiated per second by the body if the body temperature is 37^ C . The Stefan constant is taken as 6.0 10⁻⁸ W m ⁻² K ⁻⁴ .

Step-by-step solution

Given, surface area A = 1.6 m ^2 Temperature T = 37^ C = 37 + 273 = 310 K Stefan constant = 6.0 10⁻⁸ W m ⁻² K ⁻⁴ Since the body acts as an ideal radiator, emissivity e = 1 . The amount of energy radiated per second is given by the Stefan-Boltzmann law: P = e A T^4 Substituting the given values: P = (6.0 10⁻⁸) 1 1.6 (310)^4 P = 9.6 10⁻⁸ 9235210000 P = 9.6 92.3521 P = 886.58 J/s Rounding to the nearest integer, we get 887 J/s .