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Plastic would quickly melt if used with a light bulb that generates such high temperatures. That’s why the casing is glass rather than another material, such as plastic – it needs to be able to resist the very high temperatures. It’s not efficient – most of the energy used generates heat rather than light – but it’s effective at producing light until the filament breaks. When a current is passed through the filament, it is heated to a very high temperature – around 2600C or 4500F – which is what then generates the light. Incandescent bulbs contain a tungsten filament – a delicate piece of metal. In reality, a broken bulb will burn out almost immediately, and you’ll need to replace it. If the glass breaks, then technically, the bulb will still work – for an extremely short amount of time (I mean a few seconds).Īnd it would be dangerous due to the exposed high temperatures. The glass casing is vital to an incandescent bulb. How CFL bulbs work, and why a glass case is essentialĬan Incandescent Bulbs Function Without The Glass?.How LED bulbs don’t rely on one, but why they’re still useful.Why incandescent bulbs need a cover, and why it has to be glass.LED bulbs don’t need one, but it’s useful for directing the light and keeping the components safe. In incandescent bulbs, the case protects the tungsten filament from oxidizing, while CFL casings keep the essential gases from leaking. Incandescent bulbs and CFL bulbs cannot function without a glass casing. It’s not merely an extra layer to make the bulb look more appealing.
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Light bulbs really are clever, even those that aren’t the most efficient.Įvery part of a light bulb has an important task, and that includes the glass casing.
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