Facts About Lightbulbs
Before the invention of the light bulb, people relied on candles, and oil or gas powered lanterns and lamps. Since its creation, the light bulb has become an essential light source in homes and businesses. Several types of bulbs exist, each performing slightly differently than the others. Light bulbs, also known commercially as lamps, use varying amounts of energy depending upon the type of bulb. Once a bulb burns out, it should be disposed of in a specific way.
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Invention History
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Thomas Edison often receives credit for inventing the light bulb, but Edison was far from the first to toy with the idea of an electric light source. The first effort to produce an incandescent bulb came in 1820, when Warren De la Rue created a prototype that, while functional, cost too much for regular production thanks to its use of platinum. From there, more inventors attempted to create a cost-effective bulb, including Heinrich Gobel, Joseph Wilson Swan and Edison. Edison and Swan both created an incandescent bulb around the same time in 1879. Edison, however, managed to create a long-lasting bulb with a bamboo-based filament in 1880 and was awarded the patent for the bulb.
Bulb Parts
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Light bulb parts work together to produce light when screwed into an electrical source. The electric current flows into the light bulb through the connection created at the base of the bulb, or the metal end that is twisted to secure a bulb in place. It then travels up the lead-in wires to reach the filament. The filament reaches extreme temperatures at that point and begins to glow, which fills a room with light. To protect people from the high heat of the filament, bulbs feature a glass encasing. Lower wattage bulbs reach lower temperatures and, therefore, produce a less intense glow. Light bulbs glow for a limited time, at which point the filament stops responding to the electric current and the bulb dies.
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Types of Light Bulbs
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One of the more common light bulb types is the tube-style fluorescent lamp. These are used commonly as overhead lighting in offices, but the tubes can be coiled to approximate the familiar pear shape of everyday household incandescent bulbs. With increased awareness of energy use, people have begun switching to these compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), which consume much less energy and last much longer than standard incandescent bulbs. Although the price range of CFLs is steeper, their initial cost cancels out when compared to the overall savings in energy costs.
Ultraviolet lamps glow with ultraviolet rays, primarily for use to purify water and air. They also may be used in tanning salons.
Street lamps and security lights use high-pressure sodium-vapor lamps. Car headlights use metal halide lamps, easily recognizable by the blue tint to the light. For farmyard lighting and other purposes, mercury vapor lamps are used.
Disposal
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While disposing of fluorescent bulbs in the regular landfill-bound trash may be convenient, this practice actually is illegal in several states because of the dangers associated with them. According to Earth 911, states like California, Ohio and Illinois outlaw the disposal of fluorescent lamps as general waste. The hazard stems from the vapors within bulbs that help spark the filament into lighting. This vapor often contains mercury, a hazardous substance that causes numerous health problems. Instead of tossing them into the trash, states have designated areas that collect the dead bulbs for proper disposal and recycling.
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References
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