In a typical 60-watt light bulb, the filament is made of a long, thin length of tungsten metal. As the current travels through the wires and the filament, the filament heats up to the point where it begins to emit photons, which are small packets of visible light. When a light bulb connects to an electrical power supply, an electrical current flows from one metal contact to the other. All of this exists within a glass bulb filled with an inert gas, such as argon. The filament is the thin wire you see in the middle of the light bulb, held up by a glass mount. The metal contacts attach to two stiff wires, which themselves are connected by a thin metal filament. The metal base has two metal contacts that connect to the ends of an electrical circuit. Light bulbs consist of only a few basic parts. It was, however, a technological revolution that forever changed history. In fact, it hasn't changed much since Edison's day. The traditional light bulb, also called an incandescent light bulb, is an elegantly simple device made up of only a few basic parts. Looking back across time, it's interesting to note that it took so long for such a simple invention to come about. In the late 1800s, two inventors - American Thomas Edison and Englishman Sir Joseph Swan - came up with the same invention independently around the same time: the light bulb. It's no WONDER that inventors of the past yearned for a simple solution to lighting their way in the dark. They could also produce a lot of heat and soot that weren't necessarily very pleasant.

Lighting all these devices - and keeping them lit - could be quite a chore. If you lived in a big house, you probably needed several candles or lamps. As it gets dark, what do you do for lighting?īack before the invention of modern lighting, you probably would've reached for a candle or an oil lamp. After a quick bath and a hearty supper, you want to relax and enjoy the evening for a bit.

It's almost dusk and you head into the house to get cleaned up after a hard day of work in the fields.

How does the light bulb work