A Bright Idea

This weekend we had a party at my house and we were cleaning the house and getting ready. One of the light bulbs needed to be replaced so we went to the store and got 60 watt light bulbs. After we replaced the light bulb, we turned it on and it seemed like in an instant it was bright. What is actually happening is that there are electrons all along the circuit and in the light bulb. When I flipped the switch on, it made a complete circuit. This connects the two voltage differences, which is what forces the electrons through the circuit. At the instant there was an electric field, the electrons started moving through the light bulb and through the filament. The filament is what makes the light bulb light. The filament is made out of tungsten, which is the metal with the highest boiling point. A long piece of filament is coiled into a small area. As the electrons move through the filament, they bump into the atoms, which is resistance. This colliding between electrons and atoms cause heat energy. The heat energy is turned into light energy and a light bulb lights. This seemingly easy invention was actually a really bright idea.