Prevost theory of heat exchange - Laws of Heat Transfer

Prevost theory of heat exchange

Every object emits heat radiations at all finite temperatures (except 0 K) as well as it absorbs radiations from the surroundings. For example, if you touch someone, they might feel your skin as either hot or cold.

A body at high temperature radiates more heat to the surroundings than it receives from it. Similarly, a body at a lower temperature receives more heat from the surroundings than it loses to it.

Prevost applied the idea of ‘thermal equilibrium’ to radiation. He suggested that all bodies radiate energy but hot bodies radiate more heat than the cooler bodies. At one point of time the rate of exchange of heat from both the bodies will become the same. Now the bodies are said to be in ‘thermal equilibrium’.

Only at absolute zero temperature a body will stop emitting. Therefore Prevost theory states that all bodies emit thermal radiation at all temperatures above absolute zero irrespective of the nature of the surroundings.