incandescent light bulb

Also known as incandescent lamp, incandescent light globe, light bulb, electric lamp, incandescent light, Incandescent Light Bulbs

electric light bulb with a resistively heated wire filament

AI overview

An incandescent light bulb is an electric light that works by heating a thin wire filament until it glows and produces light. It matters because it was a foundational technology that made electric lighting practical and affordable for homes and businesses.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Instance of: invention
Subclass of: light bulb
Has part: electrical filament
Material used: argon
Image: Christ Church NYC 117.jpg

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discoverer or inventor: Alessandro Volta
Commons gallery: Incandescent light bulb
Unicode character: 💡
Commons category: Incandescent light bulbs
topic's main category: Category:Incandescent light bulbs
MCN code: 7011.10.10
time of discovery or invention: 1879-00-00
copyright status: public domain
source of energy: electrical energy
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
represents: idea

Sources (5)

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Encyclopedic overview

A 230-volt incandescent light bulb with a medium-sized E27 base. The coiled filament is visible between the vertical supply wires.

An incandescent light bulb, also known as an incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe, is an electric light that produces illumination by Joule heating a filament until it glows. The filament is enclosed in a glass bulb that is either evacuated or filled with inert gas to protect the filament from oxidation. Electric current is supplied to the filament by terminals or wires embedded in the glass. A bulb socket provides mechanical support and electrical connections.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “incandescent light bulb” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.