MadSci Network: Physics
Query:

Subject: What is the temperature inside a 100 watt lightbulb?

Date: Sat Oct 21 03:19:54 2000
Posted by janie
Grade level: undergrad School: U of A
City: No city entered. State/Province: No state entered. Country: No country entered.
Area of science: Physics
ID: 972112794.Ph
Message:

In a spectroscopy lab, I took a spectrum of a lightbulb and used the 
equation from Wien's Law to calculate the temperature.  The peak 
wavelength in nanometers was at 580.  The answer that I got was 5172.41 
K.  Is this correct??  I was having trouble grasping the idea that 
something that close could be that hot and that the glass bulb could 
actually contain it, especially since we were given that the temperature 
of the Sun is 5700 K.

I'm actually doing this for an astronomy class, but I thought the question 
fit better in the physics category.  Thank you for your time.  


Re: What is the temperature inside a 100 watt lightbulb?

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