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Electrical Bulb

Key Stage 1

Meaning

This bulb has a filament inside it that glows when electricity goes through it.

A light bulb is something that lights up when you switch it on.

Key Stage 2

Meaning

An electrical bulb is a circuit component that gives out light when electricity goes through it.

Singular Noun: Electrical Bulb
Plural Noun: Electrical Bulbs

About Electrical Bulbs

There are many different kinds of electrical bulb.
The type of electrical bulb you will use in class is called a Filament Bulb. It has a thin piece of wire inside that glows when electricity passes through it.
Electrical bulbs can get very hot so you shouldn't touch the glass.
FilamentBulb.png
BulbSymbol.png
An electrical bulb. The symbol for an electrical bulb.

Key Stage 3

Meaning

An electrical bulb is a circuit component that gives out light when electricity goes through it.

About Electrical Bulbs

There are many different kinds of electrical bulb.
The type of electrical bulb used in class is called a Filament Bulb. It has a thin piece of wire called a filament that becomes so hot when electricity passes through it that it begins to glow.
Electrical bulbs can get very hot so you shouldn't touch the glass.
FilamentBulb.png
BulbSymbol.png
An electrical bulb. The symbol for an electrical bulb.

Key Stage 4

Meaning

The symbol for an bulb.

An electrical bulb is a circuit component that gives out light when electricity goes through it.

About Electrical Bulbs

An electrical bulb usually refers to a Filament Bulb. However, there are other types.
In a filament bulb electrical work is done to heat the filament to a high enough temperature that it glows in visible light, see black body radiation.
The electrical current has a heating effect on the filament which increases its temperature. This causes the resistance to increase, so the bulb does not behave as an ohmic conductor.

IV Graph

IVGraphBulb.png

Description

The IV Graph for a bulb shows that:

Explanation

Obtaining the IV Graph

BulbIVGraphCircuit.png
  1. Connect an ammeter in series with the bulb to measure current through the bulb.
  2. Connect a voltmeter in parallel with the bulb to measure the potential difference across it.
  3. Use a variable resistor in series with the bulb to vary the potential difference across the bulb.
  4. Start with a potential difference of zero and increase the potential difference by an interval of 1V up to 10V.
  5. Recording the reading on the voltmeter and ammeter.
  6. Reverse the connections on the battery and repeat steps 4 and 5 to find the I-V relationship for negative potential difference and current.

Beyond the Curriculum