What happens in an object that is cooler than its surroundings?

In a scenario where an object is cooler than its surroundings, it is important to understand the principles of thermal radiation. Objects emit and absorb thermal radiation continuously. The rate at which an object emits radiation is directly related to its temperature; warmer objects emit radiation at a higher rate compared to cooler objects.

When an object is cooler than the surrounding environment, it emits radiation but does so at a lower rate than it absorbs from the surroundings. Therefore, the correct understanding is that the cooler object will absorb more thermal energy from its surroundings than it emits. This imbalance will result in the cooler object eventually warming up.

Saying that the cooler object emits more radiation than it absorbs inaccurately represents this thermal dynamic since emitting more would suggest that the object could remain cooler than its surroundings, which contradicts the fundamental behavior of thermal radiation in varied temperature environments. Hence, the correct choice indicates that a cooler object absorbs more heat from its surroundings, not the other way around.