MadSci Network: Physics |
Heat and light energy coming from a bulb in an electrical circuit has to be coming from another form(s) of energy -- energy transfer. Is the original energy in the circuit [which is converted to heat and light] A) the kinetic energy of the slow-moving electrons in the circuit, or B) the electromagnetic energy speeding through the circuit? I have read everything on this site, and explanations of the "simple" bulb lighting process are divided between the 'friction of electron current' notion and the 'transfer of electromagnetic energy' notion. Or...are these essentially the same thing, the same thing in that 'friction' of the electron current is actually the 'rubbing' of the electrostatic fields of the electrons against other fields in the metal, and thus is also an energy transfer from electrostatic energy to heat and light energy. I have asked a few electronic engineers about this, and they do not know the answer. The answer seems to rest on very fundamental concepts of 'things' that we know exist but cannot readily put words to. ...If I can understand deeply what makes a light bulb work, then I can understand better why electrical current harms the body. Thanks a lot!
Re: Precisely what energy(ies) are being converted to light in a light bulb?
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