IV. Classical Catastrophes & The Beginnings of Quantum Mechanics
In problem 8, it is assumed that you know the Wien displacement law, which I do not
mention in my notes. This is derived from the Planck blackbody distribution, and states that
the radiation emitted from a blackbody peaks at a wavelength given by $\lambda_{max} = \frac{b}{T}$, where $T$
is measured in Kelvin, and $b = 2.8978 \times 10^{-3} m \cdot K$.
8. The fireball in a thermonuclear explosion can reach temperatures of approximately
$10^7 K$. What value of $\lambda_{max}$ does this correspond to? In what region of the spectrum is this
wavelength found? (The book refers to a figure in the chapter, Fig. 1.11. Just Google
"electromagnetic spectrum" and you'll find what you need here.)