Electrical to Light energy

Electrical energy is the energy carried by moving electrons. You see it in everyday life, like when batteries power a toy, or when lightning flashes in the sky.

When electricity flows through a circuit, it can turn into light, heat, or even motion.

One common change is into light energy, like when you flip a switch and a bulb lights up. But how this happens depends on the type of bulb.

In incandescent bulbs, electricity passes through a thin wire called a filament. The wire heats up and glows, giving off both light and heat.

LED bulbs—short for light-emitting diode—work differently. Electricity flows through a special material called a semiconductor, which gives off light with barely any heat.

CFL bulbs, or compact fluorescent lamps, work by sending electricity through a tube filled with argon gas and a small amount of mercury vapor.

When electricity passes through the tube, electrons hit the gas particles and create ultraviolet light.

This invisible ultraviolet light strikes the coating inside the tube, producing visible light.