Electric Worrier

[Birchy]

Can anybody give me a layperson's version of what happens when you press a light switch and the bulb lights up? And I mean a simplistic chain of events walk-through that even I could understand !

[answerbok]

if it was dark, you see, thanks to the brightness [of the bulb], if it was not previously dark you will still notice a yellowness around the bulb and the area may seem brighter too. You mostly have to have your eyes open to observe these effects.

[sft42]

Think of the electricity in the wires like water in a pipe....when you flick the switch you allow the "water" to flow along the completed circuit to the bulb which in turn is heated by it's resistance to the current passing through it.....it is heated to such a degree it glows giving off the light (and much more energy in the form of heat).

[bernardo]

Electrons go zooming along the wire. Some of them crash into the molecules in the wire. That makes the molecules vibrate. Eventually the molecules in the wire vibrate so much that they heat up. Eventually they get so hot that they think "Oh dear, I'm feeling so hot, I want to cool myself down". The only way it can cool down sufficiently quickly is by throwing off a small package of energy which is in the form of heat and light. Initially, it is red light, but then it turns orange and yellow. After a while, so many of the molecules are doing this so often, that the light becomes very bright white light. After a lot of use, the wire in the lightbulb has been bashed around so much by the electrons whizzing through it so much that it breaks, and you have to get another bulb.

[sddsddean]

If the glowing wire was open to the air, it would burn out due to the oxygen in the air letting it burn. So the glass bubble we call a bulb surrounds it and inside it is a vacuum (no air). As there is no oxygen available, the wire happily glows bright until it gives up (as described in bernardo's post).

[robber1]

Thats where I am going wrong answerbok. Must remember to have my eyes open. Thanks for the tip.:o)

[answerbok]

thx robber1 :-)

[Birchy]

Sorry I asked. Have I done something to offend answerbok? He or she seems to have a problem with my questions. Any chance that we can call a truce before the attempted sarcasm becomes really boring?

[robber1]

Try not to take it personnally Birchy. I suspect Answerbok was only trying to add some humour. You may have seen in other postings that some users dont want to or cant see the funny side to questions and answers. I have got into difficulties with this myself, and I am trying not to cause offense whilst still adding my personality. Your question: Seems to me that the electic power turns on the bulb (and vise versa) .Not much else to be said really.Oh, and do what I do now and try to keep your eyes open or you may miss it.

[answerbok]

Well you're a quiet one Birchy; i thought you were a phantom.. just trying to tease you of the woodwork, sorry i only got a crowbar, now that you have actually responded to one of my replies i feel happy again and my response about lightbulbs was not sarcastic only intended to be a 'light' hearted fun response, hey it was a good answer; technically correct to your question. anyway, sorry, for picking on you, really, soz. cos i had a bit of a mardy mood and you were nearest, still, if AB didn't have the odd ripple it would be boringly smooth.. i think.
ok? L8rs. :-)

[Birchy]

Hoisted by my own wotsit ! But I don't suppose you could post the legit answer aswell? After all, as soon as somebody responds - even with a semi colon and a scanned photo of Keith Chegwin - the question goes into the "answered" skip. I am asking lots of these questions because I feel they're things I should know....but don't, sadly. The light and dark explanation was funny, admittedly, but I have been standing next to a light switch ever since asking the question. I feel that I cannot justify pressing the switch until I have the knowledge of what the poor little ffixture and/or fitting is going through. Ye ken? Fixture and fitting....I feel another question coming on. See Home & Garden.........

[answerbok]

Analogy for light switch [off]; It's like a traffic Stop/Go gizmo on Stop, everything is in place and ready to go [the electric flow], all the power just waiting for you to click, then switch to Go and power continues past the switch to the bulb. the switch makes or breaks a circuit.