Lighting advancments
Lighting advancmentsHave you wondered why streetlights are yellow, or why the year 2000 cars have brighter headlights and they are a different color? Have you ever wondered how the indiglo light on your watch works, or why it glows green and not white? And did you know that same indiglo light can be used while frozen, dipped in water, bent in half, stepped on, or in hazardous environments. Lighting has changed over the last few years; there are advantages and disadvantages of different kinds of lighting.
Lighting has been around since time itself existed; the first kind of lighting was fire. Fire was used to warm the inhabitants, and to provide light; many primitive cultures would use burning torches to provide light for their excursions and pathways. Fire was the only true form of light they had other than the moon. Fire had many disadvantages, one was that fire depended on fuel and needed proper conditions to operate (no rain, minimal wind). Another disadvantage is that fire, if not handled properly, could result in a brush fire or even burn down their shelter. An advantage was it was efficient when conditions were correct. It provided an inexpensive form of lighting, and could be used for cooking and heating. Due to the persistent problem of limited fuel, inhabitants looked for a way to prolong the fuel. (Thwig 29-34)
The next step in lighting that followed was a candle. Candles offered one main advantage over the fire by itself, fuel. A candle was able to provide a long burning light and was relatively inexpensive to produce. Candles were originally made from whale fat. The flame would burn and would slowly use the wick as a fuel and would burn much slower because the wax slowed the burning down. (Thwig 35-49)
The next form of lighting that followed the candle was the oil lamp. The oil for the lamps was also made from whales. The oil was the primary fuel for the fire, it burned even longer than a candle, and was cleaner. The wick was submerged in oil with one side sticking out. The oil would travel up the wick to the exposed portion. When lit the wick would be saturated with oil and the fire would burn the oil on the wick. This form of lighting was a large improvement, many cites adapted to this technology. Cities would create streetlights from the lamps and they would be lit on a nightly bases. The light would illuminate the streets and provide for a safer community. The lamps were also used in homes and offices to provide light and allow for work at night. The candle and oil based lamps still had many downfalls. One problem was that the application still used fire as the source of light. The fire would omit carbon monoxide and always posed a threat if the fire was not watched closely. The oil-based lamps could fall over and would create a large fire by igniting all...
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