Why does a filament heat up

When they finally get hot enough, the gases combine with oxygen and are able to emit light. The flame, then, is nothing more than a mixture of reacting gases emitting visible, infrared and some ultraviolet light. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Prev NEXT. Physical Science. Incandescent lights get hot very quickly, and they can easily burn your hand if you touch them.

Incandescent lamps are actually hot enough to catch paper and some types of cloth on fire if they are directly in contact with the bulb. Incandescent light bulbs consist of a glass tube with a narrow tungsten wire inside called a filament.

The tungsten filament is connected to two electrical contacts, which cause electricity to flow through it. The bulb has either a vacuum inside or an inert gas such as argon or xenon.

The filament is a resistor: a device that resists the flow of electricity. When electricity flows through a resistor, it turns from electric energy to heat energy. When something heats up, its electrons become excited and jump to higher, less stable energy levels. In our close-knit learning community, top-tier academics and Christian faith are integrated in programs of study. Union is nationally recognized for Christ-centered academic excellence and exceptional value.

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Site Map Employee Directory. We may have all heard of interesting things happening in space where there is a weightless environment not gravity free or where there is no air. For example, what is the shape of a candle flame burning in a chamber of air on a spacecraft?

It is not tapered as it is here on Earth. Thus phenomena that we experience here on Earth act differently under the weightless conditions found in "space. The typical incandescent light bulb contains a thin wire usually tungsten called a filament that has a high electrical resistance. This filament gets very hot when an electric current passes through it.