Radiation is one of the three ways in which heat can be transfered.
Infrared radiation is the emmision of electromagnetic waves.
All objects are emitting and absorbing infrared radiation. If an object is cooler than its surroundings then it will absorb more radiation than it emits to warm up. Whereas an object thats hotter than its surrounding then it wil emit more radiation than it absobs to cool down.
The cooler/hotter an object is the more radiation that is absobed/emitted.
An example of heat radiation is the heat emitted by a fire which can be felt in the air around it.
Dark, matt surfaces absorb infrared radiation better than light, shiny surfaces; as well as emitting more infrared radiation. This is because light, shiny surfaces reflect a lot of the infrared radiation falling on them.
Example: Solar pannels have black pipes under the glass to absorb more of the sun's radiation for a higher energy intake.
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