Incandescent light bulb

The incandescent light bulb (archaically known as the electric lamp) uses a glowing wire filament heated to white-hot by electrical resistance, to generate light (a process known as thermal radiation or incandescence). The bulb is the glass enclosure which keeps the filament in a vacuum or low-pressure noble gas, or a halogen gas in the case of quartz-halogen lamps (see below) in order to prevent oxidation of the filament at high temperatures. In Australia and South Africa a light bulb is also called a light globe.

Related Topics:
Archaically - Wire - Filament - Heat - Electric - Resistance - Light - Thermal radiation - Incandescence - Glass - Enclosure - Vacuum - Pressure - Noble gas - Halogen - Quartz - Oxidation - Australia - South Africa

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Because of its poor efficiency and yellowish color, it is being gradually replaced in many applications by fluorescent lights, high-intensity discharge lamps, LEDs, and other devices.

Related Topics:
Efficiency - Fluorescent light - High-intensity discharge lamp - LED

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