[Corvettaholic]

OK, here's what I know about infrared: It heats stuff up. We can't see it, except with special goggles. Its one of the three ways of transferring heat (besides conduction and convection). Now this is what I'm foggy on: I'm fairly sure it can be reflected. Darker colors absorb it better (don't wear black shirts during summer in phoenix), and lighter colors seem to reflect it. Mirrors just plain reflect it. Am I right?

[Scratch-]

Seems right to me.

[Corvettaholic]

So given the above is true, that means I could build a heat mirror, or that my shielding idea for the inside of the heat battery is a good one. This gives me some good ideas for my next desert bonfire...

[Scratch-]

That might melt the container.

[Mitch]

Infrared Radiation is heat.

[Corvettaholic]

So when you say infrared radiation IS heat, you mean that it is the actual definition of heat? Heat isn't some mystical force which carries energy around, but its an electromagnetic wave? I always thought heat could be lots of things, but you're saying it IS electromagnet only? Actually that kind of makes sense  

[Mitch]

Yes, heat is just a part of the EM spectrum.

[Corvettaholic]

Gotcha. Is there any other names for microwave, x-ray, uv ray, or gamma rays? All of which are higher than IR if I'm not mistaken.

And since IR is heat, and it obviously transfer energy from its emission point to where its absorbed, does that mean all electromagnetic waves can do the same so long as they're absorbed and don't zip right through stuff (like gamma)?

[Scratch-]

Doesn't heat include the vibrations of the atoms and molecules?

[Corvettaholic]

Maybe thats temperature, cause there I've learned there is a difference. But if it is heat, does vibrations of atoms give off electromagnetic stuff too?

[Scratch-]

Isn’t temperature the transfer of heat?  

[Corvettaholic]

I think temperature is energy level, and heat (or infrared) is just one way of increasing the energy level of something.

[Mitch]

Doesn't heat include the vibrations of the atoms and molecules?

Infrared radiation has the same frequency as the vibrations of molecules. Thats why infrared radiation is used as a probing tool for investigations into the vibrations of molecules.

[gregpawin]

Actually, they already have heat mirrors... saw one at one of those warehouse stores--looks like a regular fan with a metal parabolic dish in the back... in the middle there's a coil of heating element that gets reflected by the parabolic metal dish.  Though there's no fan blowing the hot air as you'd imagine, whereever it points, its pretty hot.

[Corvettaholic]

So infrared has the same frequency as vibration of molecules, how did someone figure THAT out? Wouldn't the vibration frequency of different elements be a lot different, or does it fall within a certain range that IR encompasses?

Now heat mirrors are a really neat thing, I really want one. I'm going to take a gander at google and ebay and see if I can find one. Know of any good places I could get one cheaply?