Which type of electromagnetic wave is felt as heat and emitted by bodies?

Which type of electromagnetic wave is felt as heat and emitted by bodies?

• A. Ultraviolet
• B. X-ray
• C. Infrared
• D. Microwave

Answer: (C)

Heat is carried by infrared radiation. All objects above absolute zero emit infrared waves, and when those waves are absorbed by your skin, you feel warmth. Infrared lies just beyond the red end of the visible spectrum, so it isn’t visible, but its energy is felt as heat. That makes it the typical type of electromagnetic energy emitted by bodies as heat. Ultraviolet has higher energy and can burn skin but isn’t felt as warmth; X‑rays are much higher energy and pass through matter; microwaves heat materials with water but the everyday sensation of warmth comes most directly from infrared energy.

Heat is carried by infrared radiation. All objects above absolute zero emit infrared waves, and when those waves are absorbed by your skin, you feel warmth. Infrared lies just beyond the red end of the visible spectrum, so it isn’t visible, but its energy is felt as heat. That makes it the typical type of electromagnetic energy emitted by bodies as heat. Ultraviolet has higher energy and can burn skin but isn’t felt as warmth; X‑rays are much higher energy and pass through matter; microwaves heat materials with water but the everyday sensation of warmth comes most directly from infrared energy.