View source for Incandescent light bulb

[[Category:Done 2018-05-18]] 
[[File:Incandescent Light Bulb.png|thumb|250px|right|A typical incandescent light bulb. The filament is the thin wire stretched between the vertical contact wires and held up by two other support wires.]]

<onlyinclude>'''Incandescent light bulbs''' are devices that convert [[electricity]] into [[light]] by heating a filament, using [[electric current]], until it emits [[electromagnetic radiation]]. As current passes through the filament, its high [[resistance]] causes its [[temperature]] to rise until it glows.</onlyinclude> This effect is known as [[incandescence]], and it is the guiding principle behind the traditional [[light bulb]] (see figure 1). The light bulb filament is about 3000 [[Kelvin|K]], so it gives off [[blackbody radiation]], which (as shown below) means a lot of energy is going into [[heat]].

Incandescent light bulbs is still a remarkably widespread method of [[lighting]] but other types of light bulbs (like [[LED]] and [[CFL light bulb|CFL]]) are growing more popular. This shift is due to the extreme [[efficiency|inefficiency]] of incandescent bulbs as they only convert about 10% of the [[electrical energy]] they receive into visible light, with the rest being dissipated as heat.<ref>Edison Tech Center. ''Incandescent Lamps'' [Online}. Available: http://www.edisontechcenter.org/incandescent.html</ref> In Canada, legislation has been place since 2014 to phase out incandescent bulbs with alternatives like [[halogen light]]s, [[CFL light bulb]]s, and [[LED light bulb]]s.<ref>Natural Resources Canada. ''Canada’s standard for efficient light bulbs'' [Online]. Available: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/products/whats-new/13583</ref>

==Phet Simulation==
The [http://phet.colorado.edu/ University of Colorado] has graciously allowed us to use the following Phet simulation. Explore this simulation to see changing temperature changes the amount of radiation given by a light bulb filament. All of the [[radiant energy]] to the right of the rainbow in the simulation is [[energy]] coming off as [[heat]] ([[infrared radiation]]):

<html><iframe src="https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/blackbody-spectrum/latest/blackbody-spectrum_all.html" width="800" height="600"></iframe></html>

== For Further Reading ==
For further information please see the related pages below:
*[[Blackbody radiation]]
*[[Lighting]]
*[[Daylighting]]
*[[Access to non-solid fuel]]
* Or explore a [[Special:Random| random page!]]

==References==
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[[Category:Uploaded]]