4 Radiation: No, Stefan and Boltzman Were Not a '70s German Heavy Metal Band!

There is one good thing about thermal radiation. As the ambient increases, and the component temperatures go up with it, heat transfer by radiation actually increases. There is more radiation at an ambient of 50°C than at an ambient of 20°C, even when the temperature difference is exactly the same. The radiation is bigger: Not a whole lot, but nothing to sneeze at, as my allergic wife likes to say.

That is about the only good thing about radiation. It is hard to predict mathematically in complex electronic assemblies, it is nearly impossible to measure and when it is supposed to work in your favor, you can't count on it.

But infrared cameras are really fun toys to play with in the lab.