Why does tungsten burn so bright when electricity flows through it???

Question

thanks

Answer 1

A tungsten filament wire 'burns' very bright because it is giving off a great number of photons in the visible range. This is possible because tungsten may be heated to very high temperatures by an electric current without melting. Copper is a better conductor but would melt long before it gave off as many photons. The electric current in a filament agitates the electrons orbiting the atoms of the filament kicking them up to higher more energetic orbits. When the electrons return to rest orbits in one or more steps the excess energy is converted to one or more new photons or light.

Answer 2

Technically, it's not burning, it's just very hot. Technically, there isn't really any substantial difference between those glowing red wires in your toaster and the filament in a light bulb, they're just both resistors getting hot. The only difference is that the filament in your light bulb is smaller, thus getting hotter.