Glass Tube
Function: keeps the interior of the light bulb at a very low pressure (in order to help keep the Mercury in a gaseous state) and provides protection for the light bulbs internal components. Material: Limestone, Dolomite, Silica, Soda Ash, Lead, Tin Reason: easily molded, low production price, high heat tolerance Contact Pins Function: allows for an electrical current to flow into the light bulb and into the electrodes. Material: Bauxite, Copper, Nickel, Tin, Zinc, Aluminum Reason: conductivity Electrodes Function: introduces free electrons into the light bulb, which ionizes the inert gases inside the pressurized glass tube thus, transforming the inert gases into a plasma.
up the filaments thus, boiling off the electrons from the metal's surface and sending them into the gas tube to ionizing the inert gases. Material: Bauxite, Aluminum, Copper, Nickel, Tin, Tungsten, Zinc Reason: high heat tolerance
off the starter switch. Material: Copper, Nickel Reason: shape memory
kick across the electrodes to establish an electrical arc. Material: Lead, Tungsten Reason: high heat tolerance Inert Gases Function: when in the plasma state, allow an electrical current to easily pass throughout the interior of the fluorescent light bulb and exciting the mercury atoms within. Material: Argon, Krypton, Neon, or Xenon Reason: It's what gives you the light!!! Mercury Function: a small amount of vaporized mercury inside the glass tube is used to produce ultraviolet light by exciting a mercury atom to the point that an electron jumps to a higher energy level and then falls back down to its original energy level. Material: Mercury vapor Reason: no need to heat it up if at a certain pressure. Internal Phosphor Coating Function: transforms the non-visible ultraviolet light into visible light. Material: Barite, Bauxite, Alumina, Phosphate Rock, Lanthanum, Yttrium, Strontium Aluminate Reason: depending on the substance you can have different colors of light. |