Mommy, Daddy, what makes wine grape leaves green.

[LoneStarLori]

HA! You're right! that works. I tried a remote control and couldn't see anything, until I looked at it through the camera. Shore-nuff, it was flashing purple. I looked up the specs on my stove and the elements are listed as;
Cooktop Element Style: Radiant
Cooktop Surface Color: Black
Cooktop Surface Material: Ceramic Glass

Now I have no idea where the infrared come into play there, but it must be the radiant heat. (whatever that is)

 

[sour_grapes]

HA! You're right! that works. I tried a remote control and couldn't see anything, until I looked at it through the camera. Shore-nuff, it was flashing purple. I looked up the specs on my stove and the elements are listed as;
Cooktop Element Style: Radiant
Cooktop Surface Color: Black
Cooktop Surface Material: Ceramic Glass

Now I have no idea where the infrared come into play there, but it must be the radiant heat. (whatever that is)

Oh, yeah, "radiant heat" is basically the definition of infrared. Let me explain. In your first post, you said you were familiar with color temperatures. This term describes the output from any glowing object. (We call such an object a "blackbody," but no matter.) Think about an incandescent lightbulb on a dimmer switch. With the dimmer all the way up, the bulb glows white; as you turn the dimmer down, the bulb is cooler, and it glows more yellow. (The "color temperature" of the light is lower.)

Well, if you continue this process (turning down the power and thus lowering the temperature), the object will turn from yellow to red. (Think of a toaster element.) Eventually, it will not be visible at all, but you can still feel the heat on your face or hand. This is infrared radiation. Your cooktop is giving it off in spades. You cannot see it, but your camera can.

 

[LoneStarLori]

So it's the "radiant" heat. Thank you Paul! This is an explanation I can understand and wrap my head around. It makes sense. Now I can sleep tonight. (except now worrying about radiation burn to my eyes when I cook. ) lol