History Of Light Bulb (Research Paper Sample)

(Name)
Dear ……:
I am submitting my formal report, “History of Light Bulb,” to satisfy the course requirements for the spring semester of 2015.
For any question, you can contact me at …….
Sincerely,
(Name)
Student undergraduate


Technical Communications for Engineers and Computer Scientists
(Course Code)
Formal Report
State-of-the-art
History of Light Bulb.
(Name)
07/19/2015
Table of Contents
Page #
Transmittal Letter 1
Title Page 2
Abstract 4
Introduction 5-6
Discussion 6-13
Conclusion 14
Work Cited 15
Abstract
This report is aimed at providing a state-of-the-art research on the History of Light Bulb.
After the discovery of light bulbs by Humphy Davyin the 1800s it has realised a technological advancement. This report will not solely look at the history of light bulbs but also how electricity has changed the way light bulbs are used. The numerous attempts to improve the filament which is one of the key parts of a light bulb.
The report will also focus on how the bulb works, by producing light from electricity and the great scientists who have played important roles in perfecting the whole technology. Further down the report, the limitations and failure analysis of the light bulb will be looked at. Generally, all the milestones realised that concerns the light bulb will be addressed. Lastly, the report will talk about the economic contribution brought about by the presence of light bulb.
The light bulb is a very simple object that made great minds to go on extraordinary lengths with uncountable experiments being done so as to ensure that its discovery did not go in vain. Due to their persistence in improving the earlier models, their efforts are now being rewarded by it becoming one pierce of electronic that can hardly miss in any home. Its invention is highly admired as one of the greatest inventions that changed the world.
The bulb technology has greatly evolved from the first model having a very short life span, consumed more energy and also produced excessive heat, but most importantly, it was only for the few rich people since it attracted a high price.

History of Light Bulb.
Introduction
Purpose:
This report is meant to provide a detailed state-of-the-art research on History of Light Bulb, which is supposed to satisfy the course requirement as a Technical Communications for Engineers and Computer Scientist.
Problem
Light bulbs have gone through a series of modification throughout the years with better technologies being used to come up with satisfactory models. Even so, with the level of weakness seen in the currently available bulbs shows that the quest to have an efficient and durable model is far from being achieved.
Scope
This report will discuss areas related to the history of light bulb, electricity and how the light bulbs are able to utilize the energy given by the electricity to produce lights. The limitations found in the light bulbs will also be assessed not forgetting the economic development realized as a result. Lastly, the report will discuss how the different components works towards improving efficiencies seen in a light bulb.
Background
Humphy Davy produced light in 1800 using electric battery that was connected with wires, it was named electric arc. This report will be based on the history of electricity bulb and how Light is produced from electricity and how it came to be used in the world also include physicist Sir Joseph Hilson Swan (1828-1914) who discovered long-lasting electric light. Then it will include an American by the name Charles Francis Brush in 1877 that manufactured carbon arcs that could light Public Square in Cleveland, Ohio. Thomas Alva Edison who did an experiment of a material that could grow well and last for a long time will be found in the report. Willis R. Whiteney will also be found in the report; he discovered a method that can be used to reduce darkening of a bulb. Lewis Howard Latimer 1848-1928 who invested carbon filament will be future in the report. Lastly William David Coolidge (1873-1975) invented long lasting filaments. The scope of the proposal will include research on developing lighting technology today example is (LED) Light-emitting diode. This is a semi-conductor that is used to convert electricity in to bulb light (Lui).
Discussion:
Contribution of Electricity towards the Invention of Light Bulbs
There have been claims by historians that the light bulb was not invented by one person but that there was an attempt by several scientists to successfully create a functional incandescent light bulb. Humpry Davy, an English inventor created the first electric light in 1800 but before him, in 1710 Francis Hauksbee, a British scientist produced a glow in a glass globe which was exhausted of its air. Humpry Davy developed the electric arc through his experiments by connecting wires to his battery and a carbon then the piece of carbon glowed. He had previously invented the electric battery in the process of his experiments. In 1835, there was a successful demonstration of the first stable electric light by British inventors.
Michael Faraday, a Britain based inventor, and Joseph Henry in 1831 discovered the principal of electromagnetic induction which paved way to the creation of dynamo successfully used as a source of power. Joseph Wilson Swan (1828-1914) later on showed that a carbon paper filament performed well but it burned up fast. James Bowman Lindsay a Scottish scientist was accredited for containing an electrical charge inside a glass bulb (Nobleman, 2003). The latter 40 years, there were serious attempts to improve the arc lamp. Scientist tried to create a better version of the incandescent lamp, by altering the filaments and the atmospheric conditions in the bulb but their efforts did not yield much result since the process was expensive and the bulb used a lot of energy with short lifespan. In 1841, the city of Paris became the first one to attempt to light up their street using Humpry Davy arch lamp.
During the year 1856, a glass blower by the name Henrich Gleiser, developed a special tube to be used with electricity. This was the fundamental idea used to later create the florescent and neon lighting since it could successfully contain an electric charge. Joseph Wilson Swan (1828-1914) demonstrated his invention of electric lamps made of carbon paper filament in 1878, while in Newcastle England. Charles Francis Brush then created carbon arcs which were used in office buildings, the streets and in some stores in the year 1877. In 1879, Thomas Alva Edison was the first inventor to create a practically commercial bulb made out of most functional incandescent material, with a high level of resistance and vacuum as compared to his predecessors (Oxlade, 2012).



(Oxlade, 2012).
For the first distribution of power from a common source was economically viable. He discovered that a carbon filament could glow for up to 40 hours in a bulb free of oxygen. He subsequently developed a bulb that lasted up to 1500 hours (Friedel et. al, 1986). The idea to come up with a light bulb came to Thomas Edison after he went to an exhibition to see the lamp arc. In 1878 Thomas Edison visited the earlier invention, he saw a current in a bigger wire being passed into the smaller copper wire and due to the resistance the wire produced a glowing light. Though the invention was simple and inefficient, Thomas was able to see how when the wire heated up to certain, glowed to white-hot that produced a bright light.
Copper was quickly discovered to be the wrong material for use in the light bulb since it had a low melting point hence it was easy for it to melt thus cutting out the current which also led to the disappearance of the bright light. After that inspiration, Edison started the manufacturing of light bulbs in 1880 through his company, ‘Edison Electric Light Company’. He came up with the Edison screw which is used for socket fittings for light bulbs up to now. William Sawyer and Albon Man first received patent for incandescent lamp before Edison while Swan had an England patent. Thomas Edison knew that eventually Tungsten would be used to create the favorable filament but the technology was not available to him at that point and time. So, in 1906 the General Electric Company was the first to patent the Tungsten Filament for making incandescent lights (Bowers, 1995).
Thomas Edison is credited for many other inventions including the electrical meter, conduits which facilitate distribution of electricity from a centrally placed generator. He also developed Pearl street station, being the first power utility in Manhattan. William David Colidge of the General Electric Light then improved the process in 1910 by making a more durable Tungsten Filaments. In 1913, Irving Langmuir discovered that by placing inert gas into a bulb improved its efficiency (Matulka et. al, 2013).
Development of fluorescent lights
This was as a result of Henry Gleiser’s tube which formed the fundamental principles of for creating the fluorescent lights. Peter Cooper Hewitt developed the fluorescent light by passing mercury vapour and incorporating ballast there was a display of blue-green light. Due to the color they were not as favorable for use as incandescent. In the 1920’s there is an introduction of the car headlights and Neon lights after the development of the first frosted lamps. By 1951, more lights in the use was being produced by the fluorescent lights which were at this stage advanced by the numerous experiments which was done by neon and phosphors that could absorb ultra violet light and at the same time change invisible light to white light. In 1973, an energy shortage formed a nee...