When you turn on the light, why does the bulb get very hot and the electric wires that are connected to the bulb stay at the temperature of the room?
2007-02-28 20:56:59 · 3 answers · asked by little_anee 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Because the resistance of the wires in the bulb (the 'filament') is much higher than the resistance of the wires used to connect to the bulb. Power dissipation is given by P = I²R where P is power, I is current, and R is resistance. It is desired to heat up the fillament to incandescence, not get the connecting wires hot enough to start a fire ☺
Doug
2007-02-28 21:05:35 · answer #1 · answered by doug_donaghue 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They are in series so the current is the same throughout. The voltage however, drops predominantly on the bulb filament because it has a much higher resistance:
Heat Power Dissipated = Resistance * (Current ^ 2)
2007-03-01 05:05:54 · answer #2 · answered by sciquest 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
when the bulb is switched on the infrared radiation come out of it and they produce the heating effect due to which the bulb get heated up as these radiations are not get to the wires they remain at room temprature
2007-03-01 05:12:02 · answer #3 · answered by sam c 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋