We all use light bulbs in our lives, it surrounds us wherever we go, whether it’s in our homes, schools, and public places. The invention of the electrical light bulb is one of mankind's most important inventions. Before Thomas Edison’s invention of the incandescent light bulb, the main sources of light were candles and gaslights. The candles didn’t produce much light and they most likely didn’t last the longest. The gaslights were bright enough but you had to insert gas in there every time. It probably also smelled and was always a big danger concern. With the invention of cheap, long distance wiring, it not only put gas lights out of commission, but it spread the use of the electrical wires in public areas and homes.
The 3 main types of lightbulbs are incandescents, compact fluorescent light(CFL), and (light emitting diode) LEDs’. The first one we are going to be discussing about are the incandescent lights. This is the first made light bulb that Thomas Edison helped create. An incandescent light is an electric light with a wire filament that is heated so much that it glows brightly. They use the electric current given to them and heat up that wire. They were the main source of lighting after the invention of the light bulbs for around 100 years. They don’t need any regulating equipment, they can be made cheap, and works well with a variety of currents. However, these types of light are going out of production since they waste a lot of energy and don’t last very long.
One of the more widely known lightbulbs are the CFL light bulbs. Instead of heating a wire filament like an incandescent light bulb, it drives an electrical current through a twisted tube filled with argon and mercury vapor. This makes a reaction that creates ultraviolet light and then quickly turning it into bright, visible light. They also use around 70% less energy than incandescent light bulbs, making them the more prefered of the two. They do have some drawbacks however, one being that they take some time to really come to full brightness and they can’t be used with a dimmer switch. Also, since they contain a small amount of mercury, it is harmful to your health if you break one. They also can’t be thrown away with your household's regular trash.
The last most common and probably most modern type of light bulbs are LEDs. They were at first mostly found in small electronic toys and displays. They are about 90% more efficient than incandescent light bulbs. LED light bulbs works when two currents, both negative and positive, goes through a microchip which illuminates the light source. This also makes it so that dimmers can be used and that they can not burn out. It lights up immediately unlike the CFL light bulb. The LED light bulb can lost significantly longer than both CFL and incandescent light bulbs, lasting from 20, 000 to 50, 000 hours. They can have directional light source meaning they can point the light in a specific direction, not having it spread out. This helps not only focusing the brightness, but reducing light pollution at night.The problem with this type of lightbulb though is that it costs a little more than CFLs’ and incandescents. However, it can save you a lot of money in the long run since they last a long time and isn’t susceptible to overheating and performance issues, unlike CFLs’ and incandescents.