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Andy Chieu  

Period # 6 
Fall 2018 
 
Lightbulb 
 
Everyday, thousands of people flip a switch to turn on one of the most important
inventions ever, the lightbulb.​ ​On October 14, 1878​ ​Thomas Edison began serious research
into developing a practical incandescent lamp in Menlo Park, New Jersey. He used ​a carbon 
filament or strip coiled and connected it to a platina contact wires​. He wasn’t the first one
but he did borrow some ideas. ​.​Candles are similar to the light bulb because they both give 
out light.​ ​Burning Position ​defines the position in which lamps should be installed​. 
Henricg Global ​successfully placed a carbonized bamboo filament inside a glass bulb.
Its only problem was that the oxygen inside the bulb killed the glow. A year later,
Edison made a similar filament that burned for 40 hours.​Then the filament life
jumped to 1,200 hours. ​Willis Whitney solved that problem by adding a metal
coated carbon filament and jumped to ​60k hours​.  
 
Doityourself states that ,’’environmental lobbying groups have labeled incandescent 
light bulbs as harmful not only because of the electricity they waste in producing heat, 
but also because of the substantial amounts of carbon dioxide they emit. In addition, 
the heat they generate pushes cooling systems like air conditioners to work harder, 
especially during the summer.’’ On the other hand, AmericanHistory states that ‘’​over
the course of the next half century two especially significant social effects became clear.
We gained control over light in homes and offices, independent of the time of day. And
the electric light brought networks of wires into homes and offices, making it relatively
easy to add appliances and other machines.’’ This shows us that the light bulb is not
dangerous and helps us do things that we couldn’t do. 
 
The lightbulb was a revolutionary invention which was created by Thomas Edison in 
1878. It helped us see during the dark so we didn't need to rely on the sunlight 
according to Hunkers. Therefore it has changed and helped many people throughout 
the years. Without the electricity used to create the lightbulb, room lighting and 
technology wouldn’t be able to function. This has helped us make computer monitors 
and devices that we couldn’t make without the lightbulb.   
Kalinowski,​ ​Richard​. ​“​The Impact of Light Bulbs on Society​.” ​Hunker​.
.​https://www.hunker.com/13412721/the-impact-of-light-bulbs-on-society​ ​ ​Accessed on
September 4 2018
I learned some ways the lightbulb has impacted the world.

Damewood, Cassie. ​“​How Has the Lightbulb Changed Over Time?​.” ​Hunker
https://www.hunker.com/13412728/how-has-the-lightbulb-changed-over-time​ ​Accessed on
September 4 2018
I learned about how people changed the lightbulb to make it better.

doityourself. ​“​5 Potential Dangers to Consider when Using Incandescent Light Bulbs
.” ​doityourself​.
https://www.doityourself.com/stry/5-potential-dangers-to-consider-when-using-incandescent-light-
bulbs​ ​Accessed on September 4 2018
I learned how the light bulb could be dangerous.

lightbulbsdirect ​“​Glossary of Lighting Terms


.” ​lightbulbsdirect​ ​https://www.lightbulbs-direct.com/article/glossary2/​ ​ ​Accessed on September 5
2018
I learned different ways the light bulbs could be called.

Paragraph 1 includes the answers to the research questions: 


Details: Who/What/When/Where/Why?  
https://www.bulbs.com/learning/history.aspx  
https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/03/21/why-thomas-edison-isnt-the-inv
entor-of-the-light-bulb 
http://edison.rutgers.edu/inventionfactory.htm 
On October 14, 1878​ ​Thomas Edison began serious research into developing a practical
incandescent lamp. He wasnt the first to make it but he borrowed some ideas.He invented the
lightbulb in Menlo Park New Jersey.​ He continued to test types of material for metal filaments to
improve upon his original. By Nov 4, 1879, he filed another U.S. patent for an electric lamp using
"a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected to a platina contact wires." 
Everyday, thousands of people flip a switch to turn on one of the most important inventions ever, the
lightbulb.  
Patterns: What is similar to this innovator/innovation?  
https://www.lightbulbs-direct.com/article/glossary2/ 
Candles are similar to the light bulb because they both give out light. LED lights are also 
similar. It is a ​device that emits visible light when an electric current passes through it. 
The light is not too bright though. 
Language of the Discipline: What terms do professionals use to describe this 
innovation/innovator?   
https://www.lightbulbs-direct.com/article/glossary2/  
Candle which is light bulb shape. ​Burning Position ​defines the position in which lamps
should be installed​,​ Lamp ​is the generic term for a light source and lightbulb is
another word for it. 
Over Time: How has this innovation changed over time? 
https://www.hunker.com/13412728/how-has-the-lightbulb-changed-over-time
Henricg Global ​successfully placed a carbonized bamboo filament inside a glass bulb.
Its only problem was that the oxygen inside the bulb killed the glow.​ ​Then it was
fixed in 1875 when Herman Sprengel got rid of the air by placing a mercury
vacuum pump inside the bulb.​ After, many people was on a race for the best
filaments. ​They need make a material that that had to burn for a long period of time​.
The first to reach this milestone was Sir Joseph Wilson Swan. ​His bulb had a
carbon filament developed from cotton and it burned for 13 and 1/2 hours. A year
later, Edison made a similar filament that burned for 40 hours.​ Less than a year
later, his​ filament life jumped to 1,200 hours​. By adding bamboo into his
construction. All though the light bulb could burn for a long period of time, they
still turned the inside of the bulb dark. So in 1903, ​Willis Whitnew solved that
problem by adding a metal coated carbon filament​. Later the light bulb could light
up more than ​60k hours​. 
 
Paragraph 2 includes the answer to the research question: 
Multiple Perspectives: How do people from different points of view this innovation? 
https://www.doityourself.com/stry/5-potential-dangers-to-consider-when-using-incand
escent-light-bulbs 
https://www.hunker.com/13414131/uses-for-the-light-bulb 
Some people think that the light bulb is dangerous because the light bulbs could get 
really hot and burn your fingers. It could also explode. ​When there is cold air inside the 
bulb, the copper filament could explode​. The light bulb could also be very useful for 
people. ​Early theaters used candles​. ​Then it used oil lamps​. The theaters then 
revolutionized by the invention of the light bulb. It helped with lightings and other stuff. 
It also helps us be safe outside too. You could see bus stops, street lamps. ​Light bulbs 
are used to keep the area safe and to keep the criminals away.  
Paragraph 3 includes the answers to the research questions: 
Original: How did this stand out during its time? 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/you-can-keep-your-burning-candles-id-rather-h
ave-a-nice-safe-light-bulb/2014/12/14/b2fe558c-83a8-11e4-b9b7-b8632ae73d25_story.
html?utm_term=.f1c95d0afb1d 
It standed out because in the old days before candles were invented, they needed to 
buy a lot of the candles​. ​According to the Washington Post, 7 out of 10 US households 
used candles.​ But now they could just flip a switch to turn on a light source. Candles 
are also dangerous. They could set your house on fire. But the light bulb is safer.  
Convergence: What came together to make this innovator/innovation successful? 
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Light-Bulb.html 
They need to know about electricity first. ​The first attempts at using electric light were
made by English chemist Sir Humphry Davy.​ In 1802, he showed that ​electric currents
could heat metal strips to white heat that made light​. They also needed to know how to
make the light bulb last longer​. Davy found that platinum was the only metal that could
produce white heat for a long time.​ So they needed to try different ways for the light bulb
to stay lit for a long time.

 
 
https://www.hunker.com/13412721/the-impact-of-light-bulbs-on-society 
 
Impact: What impact did this innovator/innovation have on our world? 
The light bulb impacted the world because the world didn't need to rely on sunlight. 
Before the lightbulb, ​people used candles or gas lanterns that was very dangerous. It 
also helped people stay up to enjoy the night​. Another way is that it ​made long job 
hours possible. 
 

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