We've just briefly learnt a little bit about black bodies at college and I'm confused as to how radiation from a cavity which is based on a standing wave model can be compared to black bodies made of atoms, i.e. No cavity ???
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Blackbody radiation just means photons in thermal equilibrium. For ordinary solid objects, the photons inside interacts with the atoms and attained thermal equilibrium with a certain temperature. For photons inside a cavity, they interacts with the cavity wall and attain thermal equilibrium with a certain temperature. Provided that the photons can interact (indirectly) and attain thermal equilibrium, the radiation will be called a blackbody radiation.
Real objects reflect some photons in addition to their own photons inside in thermal equilibrium. So the radiation won't be a blackbody radiation. In order for it to only radiate photons at a certain temperature, it must not reflect photons, hence the name blackbody.
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