A compact fluorescent lamp with an integrated electronic ballast

A fluorescent lamp is a type of lamp that uses electricity to excite mercury vapor in argon or neon gas, producing short-wave ultraviolet light. This light then causes a phosphor to fluoresce, producing visible light. Download high resolution version (1024x768, 34 KB)Fluorescent lamp Light Bulb by thesaint: A fluorescent light bulb Source: Stock. ... Download high resolution version (1024x768, 34 KB)Fluorescent lamp Light Bulb by thesaint: A fluorescent light bulb Source: Stock. ... Lightning strikes during a night-time thunderstorm. ... General Name, Symbol, Number mercury, Hg, 80 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 6, d Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 200. ... Vapor (US English) or vapour (British English) is the gaseous state of matter. ... General Name, Symbol, Number argon, Ar, 18 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 3, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 39. ... General Name, Symbol, Number neon, Ne, 10 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 20. ... Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength shorter than that of the visible region, but longer than that of soft X-rays. ... A phosphor is a substance that can exhibit the phenomenon of fluorescence (glowing during absorption of radiation of another kind) or phosphorescence (sustained glowing without further stimulus). ... Fluorescence induced by exposure to ultraviolet light in vials containing various sized cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots. ... Prism splitting light Light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength that is visible to the eye or, in a technical or scientific setting, electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength. ...

Unlike incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps always require a ballast to convert the mains power into power suitable for the lamp type. With fluorescent lamps designed to be compatible with standard light bulb sockets (named compact fluorescent light bulbs), the ballast is integrated with the lamp, usually inside the plastic housing between the socket connector and the glow tube. Compact fluorescent light bulb A compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL bulb) is a type of fluorescent lamp which screws into a regular light bulb socket, or plugs into a small lighting fixture. ...

History

The earliest ancestor of the fluorescent lamp is probably the device by Heinrich Geissler who obtained in 1856 a bluish glow from a gas sealed in a tube, excited with an induction coil. Though he is remembered as a physicist, Geissler was educated as a glassblower. Heinrich Geissler (May 26, 1814 - January 24, 1879) was a German physicist. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... A glass pipe made by lampworking Hand-blown glass beads and pendants Glassblowing is the process of forming glass into useful shapes while the glass is in a molten, semi-liquid state. ...

At the 1893 World's Fair, the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, Nikola Tesla's fluorescent lights were displayed. 1893 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Worlds Fair is the generic name for various large expositions held since the mid 19th century. ... World Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893 The World Columbian Exposition (also called The Chicago Worlds Fair), a Worlds fair, was held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbuss discovery of the New World. ... Chicago, colloquially known as the Second City and the Windy City, is the third-largest city in population in the United States and the largest inland city in the country. ... State nickname: Land of Lincoln, The Prairie State Other U.S. States Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) Official languages American English (as oppossed to Englands English) Area 149,998 km² (25th)  - Land 143,968 km²  - Water 6,030 km² (4. ... Nikola Tesla (July 10, 1856 — January 7, 1943; baptismal name: Никола) was an inventor, physicist, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer. ...

In 1894, D. McFarlane Moore created the Moore lamp, a commercial gas discharge lamp meant to compete with the incandescent light bulb of his former boss Thomas Edison. The gases used were nitrogen and carbon dioxide emitting respectively pink and white light, and had moderate success. 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Daniel McFarlane Moore was an American inventor who created in 1894 gas discharge lamps, known as Moore lamps, in much respects the precursor of today fluorescent lamps. ... The 300,000-watt Plasma Arc Lamp in the Infrared Processing Center (IPC) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory An arc lamp is a device that produces light by the sparking (or arcing, from voltaic arc or electric arc) of a high current between two carbon rod electrodes. ... 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). ... Thomas Alva Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who developed many important devices. ... General Name, Symbol, Number nitrogen, N, 7 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 15, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 14. ... Carbon dioxide is an atmospheric gas composed of one carbon and two oxygen atoms. ...

In 1901, Peter Cooper Hewitt demonstrated the mercury-vapor lamp, which emitted light of a blue-green color, and thus was unfit for most practical purposes. It was, however, very close to the modern design. This lamp had some applications in photography where color was not yet an issue, thanks to its much higher efficiency than incandescent lamps. 1901 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Peter Cooper Hewitt (May 5, 1861 - August 25, 1921) was an American electrical engineer, who demonstrated the mercury-vapor lamp for which he deposited a patent. ...

Edmund Germer and coworkers proposed in 1926 to increase the operating pressure within the tube and to coat the tube with fluorescent powder which converts ultraviolet light emitted by a rare gas into more uniformly white-colored light. Germer is today recognized as the inventor of fluorescent lamp. Edmund Germer (August 24, 1901 - August 10, 1987) was a German inventor granted as the father of the fluorescent lamp for which he deposited U.S. Patent No 2,182,732 in 1926 with Friedrich Meyer and Hans J. Spanner. ... 1926 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Fluorescence induced by exposure to ultraviolet light in vials containing various sized cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots. ... Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength shorter than that of the visible region, but longer than that of soft X-rays. ...

General Electric later bought Germer's patent and under the direction of George Inman brought the fluorescent lamp to wide commercial use in 1938. The General Electric Company, or GE, NYSE: GE is a multinational technology and services company. ... 1938 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Principles of operation

Mechanism of light production

A fluorescent lamp bulb is filled with a gas containing low pressure argon (or more rarely argon-neon or sometimes even krypton) and mercury vapor, which is referred to as a plasma when electrified. The inner surface of the bulb is coated with a fluorescent paint made of varying blends of metallic and rare-earth phosphor salts. The bulb's cathode, typically made of coiled tungsten which is coated with a mixture of barium, strontium and calcium oxides (chosen to have a relatively low thermionic emission temperature) is heated and emits electrons which initiates the plasma under the influence of the voltage applied to the light bulb. Electrons in the plasma bombard the noble gas atoms, ionizing it (see avalanche ionization) and causing its resistance to rapidly drop and consequently causes its conductivity to rise allowing higher current to flow through the lamp. The mercury, which exists at a stable vapor pressure equilibrium point of about one part per thousand in the inside of the tube (with the noble gas pressure typically being about 0.3% of atmospheric pressure (1 atm)) is then likewise ionized, causing it to emit light in the ultraviolet (UV) region of the spectrum predominately at wavelengths of 253.7 nm and 185 nm. The efficiency of fluorescent lighting owes much to the fact that low pressure mercury discharges emit about 65% percent of their total light at the 254 nm line (also about 10-20% of the light emitted in UV is at the 185 nm line). The UV light is absorbed by the bulb's fluorescent coating, which re-radiates the energy at lower frequencies (longer wavelengths) (see stokes shift) to emit visible light. The blend of phosphors controls the color of the light, and along with the bulb's glass prevents the harmful UV light from escaping. Gas (actually, as), the GNU assembler, is the default GCC back-end. ... General Name, Symbol, Number argon, Ar, 18 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 3, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 39. ... General Name, Symbol, Number neon, Ne, 10 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 20. ... General Name, Symbol, Number krypton, Kr, 36 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 4, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 83. ... A Plasma lamp In physics and chemistry, a plasma is an ionized gas, and is usually considered to be a distinct phase of matter. ... Fluorescence induced by exposure to ultraviolet light in vials containing various sized cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots. ... Metal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... A rare earth is an oxide of a rare earth element. ... A phosphor is a substance that can exhibit the phenomenon of fluorescence (glowing during absorption of radiation of another kind) or phosphorescence (sustained glowing without further stimulus). ... In chemistry, salt is a term used for ionic compounds composed of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions, so that the product is neutral and without a net charge. ... Diagram of a copper cathode in a Daniells cell. ... General Name, Symbol, Number tungsten, W, 74 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 6, 6, d Appearance grayish white, lustrous Atomic mass 183. ... Thermionic emission (archaicly known as the Edison effect) is the flow of electrons from a metal or metal oxide surface, caused by thermal vibrational energy overcoming the electrostatic forces holding electrons to the surface. ... The noble gases are the chemical elements in group 18 (old-style Group 0) of the periodic table. ... In electricity, a corona discharge is an electrical discharge brought on by the ionization of a fluid surrounding a conductor, which occurs when the potential gradient exceeds a certain value, in situations where sparking is not favoured. ... Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength shorter than that of the visible region, but longer than that of soft X-rays. ... The wavelength is the distance between repeating units of a wave pattern. ... A nanometre (American spelling: nanometer) is 1. ... Absorption has a number of meanings: In physics absorption is a process in which particles of some sort encounter another material and are taken up by or even disappear in it. ... Electromagnetic radiation or EM radiation is a combination (cross product) of oscillating electric and magnetic fields perpendicular to each other, moving through space as a wave, effectively transporting energy and momentum. ... Stokes shift is the difference (in wavelength or frequency units) between positions of the band maxima of the absorption and luminescence spectra of the same electronic transition. ... The optical spectrum (light or visible spectrum) is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye. ... Colour is an important part of the visual arts. ... The materials definition of a glass is a uniform amorphous solid material, usually produced when a suitably viscous molten material cools very rapidly, thereby not giving enough time for a regular crystal lattice to form. ...

Electrical aspects of operation

Fluorescent lamps are negative resistance devices. This means that as more current flows through them and more gas is ionized, the resistance of the fluorescent lamp drops and this would allow even more current to flow through them! Connected directly to a constant-voltage mains power line, a fluorescent lamp would rapidly self-destruct due to the unlimited current flow. Because of this, fluorescent lamps are always used with some sort of auxiliary electronics that regulates the current flow in the tube. This auxiliary device is commonly called a ballast. In electrical circuits, static resistance is the ratio of the voltage across a circuit element to the current through it. ... This article may be too technical for most readers to understand. ...

While the ballast could be (and occasionally is) as simple as a resistor, substantial power is wasted in a resistive ballast so ballasts usually use a reactance (inductor or capacitor) instead. For operation from mains voltage, the use of simple inductor (a so-called "magnetic ballast") is common. In countries that use 120 V AC mains, the mains voltage is insufficient to light large fluorescent lamps so the ballast for these larger fluorescent lamps is often a step-up autotransformer with substantial leakage inductance (so as to limit the current flow). Either form of inductive ballast may also include a capacitor for power factor correction. More sophisticated ballasts may employ transistors or other semiconductor components to convert mains voltage into high-frequency AC while also regulating the current flow in the lamp. These are referred to as "electronic ballasts". Resistor symbols A resistor is a two-terminal electrical or electronic component that passes a current that is proportional to the potential difference between its terminals in accordance with Ohms law. ... In the analysis of an alternating-current electrical circuit (for example a RLC series circuit), reactance is the imaginary part of impedance, and is caused by the presence of inductors or capacitors in the circuit. ... An inductor is a passive electrical device that stores energy in a magnetic field, typically by combining the effects of many loops of electric current. ... Various types of capacitors A high voltage (15 kV AC) capacitor // Definition A capacitor (occasionally referred to using the older term condenser) is a device that stores energy in the electric field created between a pair of conductors on which equal but opposite electric charges have been placed. ... In physics, magnetism is a phenomenon by which materials exert an attractive or repulsive force on other materials. ... The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential and voltage (derived from the ampere and watt). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with :AC power. ... Transformers - Typical electrical configurations. ... Leakage inductance is that property of an electrical transformer that causes a winding to appear to have some pure inductance in series with the mutually-coupled transformer windings. ... Various types of capacitors A high voltage (15 kV AC) capacitor // Definition A capacitor (occasionally referred to using the older term condenser) is a device that stores energy in the electric field created between a pair of conductors on which equal but opposite electric charges have been placed. ... The power factor of an AC electric power system is defined as the ratio of the real power to the apparent power. ... Through hole transistors (tape measure marked in centimeters) The transistor is a solid state semiconductor device which can be used for amplification, switching, voltage stabilization, signal modulation and many other functions. ... Derka semiconductor is a material with an electrical conductance that is intermediate between that of an insulator and a conductor. ... Sine waves of various frequencies; the lower waves have higher frequencies than those above. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with :AC power. ... Look up Electronic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Electronic can refer to many things: Objects related to electronics The band Electronic. ...

Method of 'starting' a fluorescent lamp

The mercury atoms in the fluorescent tube must be ionized before the arc can "strike" within the tube. For small lamps, it does not take much voltage to strike the arc and starting the lamp presents no problem, but larger tubes require a substantial voltage (in the range of a thousand volts). In some cases, that is exactly how it is done: "instant start" fluorescent tubes simply use a high enough voltage to break down the gas and mercury column and thereby start arc conduction. These tubes can be identified by the facts that

1. they have a single pin at each end of the tube and
2. the lampholders that they fit into have a "disconnect" socket at the low-voltage end to assure that the mains current is automatically removed so that a person replacing the lamp can not receive a high-voltage electric shock.

In other cases, a separate starting aid must be provided. Old fluorescent designs used a combination filament/cathode at each end of the lamp combined with a mechanical or automatic switch that would initially connect the filaments in series and thereby "preheat" the filaments prior to striking the arc. Because of thermionic emission, the filaments would readily emit electrons into the gas column creating a glow discharge near the filaments. Then, when the starting switch opened up, the inductive ballast would create a voltage surge which would (usually) strike the arc. If so, the impinging arc then kept the filament/cathode warm. If not, the starting sequence was repeated. If the starting aid was automatic, this often led to the situation where an old fluorescent lamp would flash time and time again as the starter repeatedly tried to start the worn-out lamp. More advanced starters would "trip out" in this situation and not attempt another start until manually reset. Sign warning of possible electric shock hazard An electric shock may occur upon contact of a human or animal body with electricity. ... A filament is a fine, thinly spun thread, fiber, or wire. ... Diagram of a copper cathode in a Daniells cell. ... Thermionic emission (archaicly known as the Edison effect) is the flow of electrons from a metal or metal oxide surface, caused by thermal vibrational energy overcoming the electrostatic forces holding electrons to the surface. ... Electric glow discharge is a type of plasma formed by passing a current at 100V to several kV through a gas - usually argon or another noble gas. ...

Newer lamp and ballast designs (known as "rapid start" lamps) provide true filament windings within the ballast; these rapidly and continuously warm the filaments/cathodes using low-voltage AC. Unfortunately, there is no inductive voltage surge produced so the lamps must usually be mounted near a grounded (earthed) reflector to allow the glow discharge to propagate through the tube and initiate the arc discharge. Electronic ballasts often revert to a style in-between the preheat and rapid-start styles: a capacitor or other electronic circuit may join the two filaments, providing a conduction path that preheats the filaments but which is subsequently shorted out by the arc discharge. Generally this capacitor also forms, together with the inductor that provides current limiting in normal operation, a resonant circuit increasing the voltage across the lamp so that it can easily start. Some electronic ballasts use programmed start, the output AC frequency is started above the resonance frequency of the output circuit of the ballast, and after the filaments are heated, the frequency is rapidly decreased. If the frequency approaches the resonant frequency of the ballast, the output voltage will increase so much that the lamp will ignite. If the lamp does not ignite an electronic circuit stops the operation of the ballast. In physics, resonance is the tendency of a system to absorb more oscillatory energy when the frequency of the oscillations matches the systems natural frequency of vibration (its resonant frequency) than it does at other frequencies. ... Sine waves of various frequencies; the lower waves have higher frequencies than those above. ... This article is about resonance in physics. ...

Phosphors and the spectrum of emitted light

Spectrum of a typical fluorescent light. For an explanation of the origin of the peaks click on the image. Note that several of the spectral peaks are directly generated from the mercury arc.

Many people find the color spectrum produced by some fluorescent lighting to be harsh and displeasing. It is common for a healthy person to appear with a sickly bluish skin tone under fluorescent lighting. This is due in part to the presence of prominent blue and green lines emitted directly by the mercury arc and in part to the type of phosphor used. Many pigments appear a slightly different color when viewed under fluorescent light versus incandescent. This is mainly the case with fluorescent lamps containing the older halophosphate type phosphors (chemical formula Ca₅(PO₄)₃(F,Cl):Sb³⁺,Mn²⁺), usually labeled as "cool white". The bad color reproduction is due to the fact that this phosphor mainly emits yellow and blue light, and relatively little green and red. To the eye, this mixture looks white, but light reflected from surfaces has an incomplete spectrum. More expensive fluorescent lamps use a triphosphor mixture, based on europium and terbium ions, that have emission bands more evenly distributed over the spectrum of visible light. These phosphors give a more natural color reproduction to the human eye. In most modern usages of the word spectrum, there is a unifying theme of a variety of possible cases between extremes at either end. ... General Name, Symbol, Number mercury, Hg, 80 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 6, d Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 200. ... The optical spectrum (light or visible spectrum) is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye. ... Model of the layers of human skin In zootomy and dermatology, skin is an organ of the integumentary system; which is composed of a layer of tissues that protect underlying muscles and organs. ... In biology, pigment is any material resulting in color in plant or animal cells which is the result of selective absorption. ... A phosphor is a substance that can exhibit the phenomenon of fluorescence (glowing during absorption of radiation of another kind) or phosphorescence (sustained glowing without further stimulus). ... General Name, Symbol, Number calcium, Ca, 20 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 4, s Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 40. ... This article is about the chemical element. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 15. ... General Name, Symbol, Number fluorine, F, 9 Chemical series halogens Group, Period, Block 17, 2, p Appearance pale greenish-yellow gas Atomic mass 18. ... General Name, Symbol, Number chlorine, Cl, 17 Chemical series halogens Group, Period, Block 17, 3, p Appearance yellowish green Atomic mass 35. ... General Name, Symbol, Number antimony, Sb, 51 Chemical series metalloids Group, Period, Block 15, 5, p Appearance silvery lustrous gray Atomic mass 121. ... General Name, Symbol, Number manganese, Mn, 25 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 7, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Atomic mass 54. ... In most modern usages of the word spectrum, there is a unifying theme of a variety of possible cases between extremes at either end. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Europium, Eu, 63 Chemical series Lanthanides Group, Period, Block _, 6, f Density, Hardness 5244 kg/m3, no data Appearance silvery white Atomic properties Atomic weight 151. ... General Name, Symbol, Number terbium, Tb, 65 Chemical series lanthanides Group, Period, Block ?, 6, f Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 158. ...

Usage

Fluorescent light bulbs come in many shapes and sizes. An increasingly popular one is the compact fluorescent light bulb (CF). Many compact fluorescent lamps integrate the auxiliary electronics into the base of the lamp allowing them to then screw into a regular light bulb socket. In the US, residential use of fluorescent lighting remains low (generally limited to kitchens, basements, hallways and other areas), but schools and businesses find the cost savings of fluorescents to be significant and only rarely use incandescent lights. Typical lighting arrangements may include fluorescent tubes sending different tints of white, in order to provide good color reproduction. In other countries, residential use of fluorescent lighting varies depending on the price of energy and the environmental concerns of the local population as well as the acceptability of the light output. Compact fluorescent light bulb A compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL bulb) is a type of fluorescent lamp which screws into a regular light bulb socket, or plugs into a small lighting fixture. ... A residential area is a type of land use where the predominant use is residential. ... A kitchen is a room used for food preparation. ... A basement is a storey of a building that is either completely or partially below the ground floor. ... Hall has several meanings. ... A school is most commonly a place designated for learning. ... Categories: Business | Academic disciplines | School subjects ...

Because they contain mercury, a toxic material, in quantities of a few milligrams per unit, in many areas throughout the world government regulations require that fluorescent bulbs must be properly disposed of. While this generally applies only to large commercial buildings which produce many waste bulbs, though restrictions vary widely, it is a good idea to find out if you can safely dispose of your waste bulbs in some manner. For a list of biologically injurious substances, including toxins and other materials, as well as their effects, see poison. ... The milligram (symbol mg) is an SI unit of mass. ...

Advantages over incandescent lamps

Fluorescent lamps are much more efficient than incandescent light bulbs of an equivalent brightness. This is because more of the consumed energy is converted to usable light and less is converted to heat (allowing fluorescent lamps to run cooler). They also have a longer lamp life, which can be further lengthened by avoiding cramped enclosures, where heat build-ups that wear the lamp down may occur. Efficiency is the capability of acting or producing effectively with a minimum of waste, expense, or unnecessary effort. ... 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). ... Prism splitting light Light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength that is visible to the eye or, in a technical or scientific setting, electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength. ... A red-hot iron rod cooling after being worked by a blacksmith. ...

The seemingly cheap light bulbs could be replaced with seemingly more expensive fluorescent lamps, but due to electricity savings and the longer lifespan of the individual light source, money can be saved in the long term. Most incandescent light bulbs turn about 90% of the used power into heat. That is, they mainly produce and radiate heat instead of light. Whilst a typical light bulb might consume about 60 watts of power, a fluorescent lamp of approximately the same apparent "brightness" would take only 25% of this (about 15 watts).

Tube designations

Note: the information in this section might be unapplicable outside of North America. World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere, bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west...

Bulbs are typically identified by a code such as F##T##, where F is for fluorescent, the first number indicates the power in watts (or strangely, length in inches in very long bulbs), the T indicates that the shape of the lamp is tubular, and the last number is diameter in eighths of an inch. Typical diameters are T12 (1½" or 38 mm) for residential bulbs with old magnetic ballasts, T8 (1" or 25 mm) for commercial energy-saving bulbs with electronic ballasts, and T5 (⁵⁄8" or 16 mm) for very small bulbs which may even operate from a battery-powered device. Identification can mean The act of identifying. ... CODE is a visual programming language and system for parallel programming, letting users compose sequential programs into parallel ones. ... Mid-19th century tool for converting between different standards of the inch An inch is an Imperial and U.S. customary unit of length. ... TUBE (チューブ; chūbu) is a Japanese popular music group. ... For the geometric term, see diameter. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter), symbol mm is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... Magnetic lines of force of a bar magnet shown by iron filings on paper A magnet is an object that has a magnetic field. ... Look up Electronic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Electronic can refer to many things: Objects related to electronics The band Electronic. ... Four double-A batteries In science and technology, a battery is a device that stores energy and makes it available in an electrical form. ... Transmission lines in Lund, Sweden Electric power, often known as power or electricity, involves the production and delivery of electrical energy in sufficient quantities to operate domestic appliances, office equipment, industrial machinery and provide sufficient energy for both domestic and commercial lighting, heating, cooking and industrial processes. ... A Device can be taken to mean: an electrical device designed to carry power, but not use it. ...

High-output bulbs are brighter and draw more electrical current, have different ends on the pins so they cannot be used in the wrong fixture or with the wrong bulb, and are labeled F##T12HO, or F##T12VHO for very high output. Information processing In information processing, output is the process of transmitting information (verb usage). ... In electricity, current is the rate of flow of charges, usually through a metal wire or some other electrical conductor. ... Pin is a word with multiple meanings: Look up Pin in Wiktionary, the free dictionary A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together. ... In the law of real property, fixtures are anything that would otherwise be a chattel that have, by reason of incorporation or affixation, become permanently attached to the real property. ...

U-shaped tubes are FB##T##, with the B meaning "bent". Most commonly, these have the same designations as linear tubes. Circular bulbs are FC##T#, with the diameter of the circle (not circumference or watts) being the first number, and the second number usually being 9 (29mm) for standard fixtures. The circumference is the distance around a closed curve. ...

Color is usually indicated by WW for warm white, EW for enhanced (neutral) white, CW for cool white (the most common), and DW for the bluish daylight white. BL is often used for blacklight (commonly used in bug zappers), and BLB for the common blacklight-blue bulbs which are dark purple. Other non-standard designations apply for plant lights or grow lights. The term Daylight can have several meanings: direct or indirect sunlight, Daylight an album, Daylight a movie, Daylight The Southern Pacific railroad operated several named passenger trains named [adjective] Daylight (such as the Afternoon Daylight) in California. ... Note: Ultraviolet is also the name of a 1998 UK television miniseries about vampires. ... Function A bug zapper uses a strong electrical current to kill insects that are attracted to it due to a light source in the center of the device. ...

Odd lengths are usually added after the color. One example is an F25T12/CW/33, meaning 25 watts, 1.5" diameter, cool white, 33" or 84 cm long. Without the 33, it would be assumed that an F25T12 is the more-common 30" long.

Compact fluorescents do not have such a designation system.

Blacklights, sun lamps, and germicidal lamps

Blacklights are a subset of fluorescent lamps that are used to provide long-wave ultraviolet light (at about 360nm wavelength). They are built in the same fashion as conventional fluorescent lamps but the glass tube is coated with a phosphor that converts the short-wave UV within the tube to long-wave UV rather than to visible light. They are used to provoke fluorescence (to provide dramatic effects using blacklight paint and to detect materials such as urine and certain dyes that would be invisible in visible light) as well as to attract insects to bug zappers. Note: Ultraviolet is also the name of a 1998 UK television miniseries about vampires. ... Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength shorter than that of the visible region, but longer than that of soft X-rays. ... Fluorescence induced by exposure to ultraviolet light in vials containing various sized cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots. ... Blacklight paint or blacklight-reactive paint is paint that glows under a blacklight. ... Urine is liquid waste excreted by the kidneys and eventually expelled from the body in a process known as urination. ... A dye can generally be described as a coloured substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. ... Classes & Orders Subclass: Apterygota Orders Archaeognatha (Bristletails) Thysanura (Silverfish) Monura - extinct Subclass: Pterygota Orders Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Diaphanopteroidea - extinct Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Infraclass: Neoptera Orders Blattodea (cockroaches) Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids) Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, etc) Phasmatodea (walking sticks) Embioptera (webspinners) Zoraptera... Function A bug zapper uses a strong electrical current to kill insects that are attracted to it due to a light source in the center of the device. ...

Most blacklights (so-called "BLB" or "BlackLight-Blue" lamps) are also made from more-expensive deep blue glass rather than clear glass. The deep blue glass filters out most of the visible colors of light directly emitted by the mercury vapor discharge, producing proportionally less visible light compared to UV light. This allows UV-induced fluorescence to be seen more easily (thereby allowing blacklight posters to seem much more dramatic). The blacklight lamps used in bug zappers do not require this refinement so it is usually omitted in the interest of low cost.

Sun lamps contain a different phosphor that emits more strongly in medium-wave UV, provoking a tanning response in human skin. Sun tanning is the darkening of the skin, especially of fair-skinned individuals, in response to exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunshine (or a sunbed). ... Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Human beings define themselves in biological, social, and spiritual terms. ... Model of the layers of human skin In zootomy and dermatology, skin is an organ of the integumentary system; which is composed of a layer of tissues that protect underlying muscles and organs. ...

Finally, germicidal lamps contain no phosphor at all (technically making them gas discharge lamps rather than fluorescent) and their tubes are made of fused quartz that is transparent to the short-wave UV directly emitted by the mercury discharge. The UV emitted by these tubes will kill germs, ionize oxygen to ozone, and cause eye and skin damage. Besides their uses to kill germs and create ozone, they are sometimes used by geologists to identify certain species of minerals by the color of their fluorescence. When used in this fashion, they are fitted with filters in the same way as Blacklight-Blue lamps are; the filter passes the short-wave UV and blocks the visible light produced by the mercury discharge. Fused quartz is a man-made material manufactured principally from sands. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 15. ... Ozone (O3) is an allotrope of oxygen, the molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms instead of the more stable diatomic O2. ... Germ is an informal term for a disease-causing organism, particularly bacteria (as in germ warfare). ... A geologist is a contributor to the science of geology. ... This article is about minerals in the geologic sense; for nutrient minerals see dietary mineral; for the band see Mineral (band). ...

Electrodeless induction lamps

Fluorescent lamps without internal electrodes have been commercially available since 1990. A current is induced into the gas column using electromagnetic induction. Because the electrodes are usually the life-limiting element of fluorescent lamps, such electrodeless lamps can have a very long service life, although they also have a higher purchase price. 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Electromagnetic induction is the production of an electrical potential difference (or voltage) across a conductor situated in a changing magnetic flux. ... In contrast with all other electrical lamps that use electrical connections through the lamp envelope to transfer electrical power to the lamp, in electrodeless lamps the power needed to generate light is transferred from the outside of the lamp envelope by means of (electro)magnetic fields. ...

Fluorescent fun

If you live in a dry cold climate with lots of static electricity, try this: Put on your best static gathering socks and take hold of a short fluorescent tube. Then shuffle about on the carpet to gather a robust static charge. Now discharge by gently touching the lamp electrodes to anything electrically grounded. Instead of the usual little spark the entire tube will flash as the electrons course (painlessly) out of your body. This also applies with Van de Graaff generators; simply touch the light to the sphere or touch the sphere while holding the light. Warning: This may produce a rather "jolty" shock. Static electricity is a class of phenomena involving the imbalanced charge present on an object, typically referring to charge with voltages of sufficient magnitude to produce visible attraction, repulsion, and sparks. ... The SOCKS Protocol is an Internet standard proxy protocol that allows client-server applications to transparently use the services of a network firewall. ... An electrode is a conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit (e. ... Properties The electron (also called negatron, commonly represented as e−) is a subatomic particle. ... Van de Graaff generator A Van de Graaff generator is a machine which uses a moving belt to accumulate very high charges on a hollow metal globe. ...

Alternatively, if you happen to have a Tesla coil handy, you can fully illuminate the fluorescent lamp at quite a distance from the Tesla coil simply by holding the detached lamp in your hand and possibly touching one of its terminals. Do not touch the lamp to the coil, as this may result in injury and/or burning out the lamp (a hobbyist Tesla coil may operate at several kilowatts). A Tesla coil is a category of disruptive discharge coils, named after their inventor, Nikola Tesla. ...

If you live near high voltage power lines you might try standing underneath them at night while holding a fluorescent tube. The strong electric field created by power lines will cause a very small (harmless) current flow through the tube and it should give off at least a feeble glow.[1] Obviously you should never do this during stormy weather and no attempt should ever be made to get closer than average standing height to the lines using, for instance, a ladder. Transmission lines in Lund, Sweden Electric power transmission is one process in the delivery of electricity to consumers. ... Lightning over Pentagon City in Arlington County, Virginia Cloud to cloud lightning Lightning is a powerful natural electrostatic discharge produced during a thunderstorm. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has more media related to:

Fluorescent lamp

• NASA: The Fluorescent Lamp: A plasma you can use
• How Stuff Works: Are fluorescent bulbs really more efficient than normal light bulbs?
• How Stuff Works: How Fluorescent Lamps Work
• The Lighting Design Lab: Should I Turn Off Fluorescent Lighting When Leaving A Room?

Sources of light / lighting:
Natural/prehistoric light sources: Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Download high resolution version (502x730, 56 KB)A picture of a Compact fluorescent light bulb taken by Kevin Rector. ... Prism splitting light Light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength that is visible to the eye or, in a technical or scientific setting, electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength. ... Architect lamps Dark lighting in a concert hall allow laser effects to be visible In the 2005 Classical Spectacular performance, a state of the art lighting system was used to accompany the music Lighting refers to the devices or techniques used for illumination, usually referring to artificial light sources such...	Bioluminescence | Celestial objects | Lightning Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism as the result of a chemical reaction during which chemical energy is converted to light energy. ... See also Lists of astronomical objects Categories: Astronomical objects ... Lightning over Pentagon City in Arlington County, Virginia Cloud to cloud lightning Lightning is a powerful natural electrostatic discharge produced during a thunderstorm. ...
Combustion-based light sources: Combustion or burning is an exothermic reaction between a substance (the fuel) and a gas (the oxidizer), usually O2, to release heat. ...	Acetylene/Carbide lamps | Candles | Davy lamps | Fire | Gas lighting | Kerosene lamps | Lanterns | Limelights | Oil lamps | Rushlights Carbide lamps (acetylene lamps) are simple lamps that produce and burn acetylene by reacting calcium carbide with water. ... A lit candle. ... The Davy lamp is a safety lamp devised in 1815 by Humphry Davy. ... A large bonfire Fire is a form of combustion. ... Gas lighting is the process of burning piped natural gas or coal gas for illumination. ... A kerosene lamp, widely known in Britain as a paraffin lamp, is any type of lighting device which uses kerosene (paraffin) as a fuel. ... Stone lantern A lantern is a portable lighting device used to illuminate broad areas. ... Limelight is a type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls. ... Antique bronze oil lamp with Christian symbol (replica) Antique Greek oil lamp (replica) An oil lamp is a device used for lighting or for preserving a flame that is fueled by animal, vegetable or mineral oil. ... A Rushlight is a type of candle formed using the dried pith of the rush plant as its wick. ...
Nuclear/direct chemical light sources: In nuclear physics, a nuclear reaction is a process in which two nuclei or nuclear particles collide, to produce products different to the initial products. ...	Betalights | Chemoluminescence (Lightsticks) A betalight is an artificial light source powered by the radioactive decay of tritium (3H) gas. ... Lightsticks Chemoluminescence (sometimes chemiluminescence) is the emission of light (luminescence) as the result of a chemical reaction. ... Three types of lightsticks in five colours A lightstick, also called a glowstick, is a transparent plastic tube which contains chemical fluids held apart in two compartments. ...
Electric light sources: Lightning strikes during a night-time thunderstorm. ...	Arc lamps | Incandescent light bulbs | Fluorescent lamps The 300,000-watt Plasma Arc Lamp in the Infrared Processing Center (IPC) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory An arc lamp is a device that produces light by the sparking (or arcing, from voltaic arc or electric arc) of a high current between two carbon rod electrodes. ... 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). ...
High-intensity discharge light sources: High-intensity discharge (HID) lamps include the groups of electrical lights commonly known as mercury vapor, metal halide, high-pressure sodium, and xenon short-arc lamps. ...	Ceramic Discharge Metal Halide lamps | HMI lamps | Mercury-vapor lamps | Metal halide lamps | Sodium vapor lamps | Xenon arc lamps Ceramic Discharge Metal Halide lamps are a relativly new source of light that is a variation of the Mercury-vapor lamp. ... Hydrargyrum Medium-Arc Iodide, frequently called just HMI is a mercury-halide discharge short arc lamp with a color temperature of approximately 5600K. The name is derived from Hydrargyrum, an archaic term for mercury while Iodide indicates that iodine is the halogen used to form the active compound. ... A Mercury-vapor lamp is a gas discharge lamp which uses mercury in an excited state to produce light. ... Metal halide lamps are similar to mercury vapor lamps, but instead of just mercury, they also contain sodium/scandium iodide and sometimes metals in the rare earth period combined with halogens in the halogen group of the periodic table. ... A sodium vapor lamp is a gas discharge lamp which uses sodium in an excited state to produce light. ... Xenon arc lamps are a source of artificial light. ...
Other electric light sources:	Electroluminescent (EL) lamps | Inductive lighting | LEDs | Neon and argon lamps | Nernst lamp | Sulfur lamp | Xenon flash lamps | Yablochkov candles Electroluminescence is an optical phenomenon and electrical phenomenon where a material such as a natural blue diamond emits light when an electric current is passed through it. ... In contrast with all other electrical lamps that use electrical connections through the lamp envelope to transfer electrical power to the lamp, in electrodeless lamps the power needed to generate light is transferred from the outside of the lamp envelope by means of (electro)magnetic fields. ... Red, green, and blue LEDs. ... Lighting neon lamp, two 220/230 Volt and 110 V neon lamps and a screwdriver with neon lamp inside A neon lamp is a gas discharge lamp containing neon gas (or in types with different colors also other noble gas) at low pressure. ... Nernst lamps were an early form of electrically-powered incandescent lamps. ... In contrast with all other electrical lamps that use electrical connections through the lamp envelope to transfer electrical power to the lamp, in electrodeless lamps the power needed to generate light is transferred from the outside of the lamp envelope by means of (electro)magnetic fields. ... Xenon flash lamp being fired. ... A Yablochkov candle (sometimes electric candle) is a type of electric carbon arc lamp, invented in 1876 by Pavel Yablochkov. ...