The fluorescent lamp is basically
a Sealed Glass
Tube, which contains some mercury and an
inert gas (like argon or neon).
The tube is also coated from
the inside by
phosphor powder.
On both ends of the tube are
two electrodes,
which are connected to an electrical circuit,
which is connected to an AC power supply.
When you turn the switch on,
electricity from the two opposing electrodes changes some
of the mercury from liquid to gas. As this is happening, the
excited mercury atoms bump into each other, releasing energy
and light.
This Ultra Violet light released
from the
excited mercury atoms can not be seen
by the naked eye, so you need the phosphors
to convert them to visible light.
This process takes less energy,
and so makes
the fluorescent lamp more efficient, up to six
times more than yourregular light bulb.
There many new forms of fluorescent
lamps and
one of the more popular ones is called the
Compact Fluorescent Lamp or CFL's. It comes
in many shapes sometimes they even look like regular light
bulbs.
All that science inside a plain
white tube.
A pretty amazing Filipino invention.
