How many electrons are in the filament of a light bulb?

Answer 1

I think you probably know that the flow of electrons causes the filament to heat up and glow when the electricity is switched on and you want to know the number of electrons in the electricity?

Well, it doesn't work quite like that, the electrons are all in the electron shells of the tungsten atoms making up the filament and there are the same number of electrons in these shells (and thus he filament) whether the electricity is on or off.

When electricity is on, the electrons (in the outer shells) hop from one atom to the next, no extra electrons get into the filament (electrons coming in at one end are balanced by electrons going out at the other end)

While all atoms have electrons, not all elements have atoms with 'free' electrons to allow this hopping - these elements will not conduct electricity.

Answer 2

The lattice structure of metals (copper in wire) means that electrons are delocalised. This allows the electrons to move freely through the wire and various other metal components until it reaches the metal filament of the light bulb.

Answer 3

Electrons are very, very tiny, so it takes a lot of them to make a light bulb work. A 60 watt incandescent light bulb used in a 120 volt circuit needs a bit more than 3 million million million electrons per second to work. A LED lamp that gives the same amount of light would need about one-tenth as many electrons per second, so it is cheaper to use and better for the environment.

Answer 4

More than I want to calculate for you right now. Also the number is the same whether the bulb is lit (current flowing) or dark (no current flowing). Also tungsten has 74 electrons, of which only 2 are in the conduction band and free to participate in current flow.

Answer 5

As electrons enter the filament of a lightbulb it must first go through a resistor that compresses the electrons into a very small and fine space. After the electrons pass through the resistor it goes into the filament and the electrons release their energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation. In otherwords, the electrons give off light when they release their energy.

Answer 6

That depends on the type of light bulb and the application. A standard house hold incandescent bulb draw in the neighborhood of 120v or 240v ac depending on the country you are in.

Answer 7

There are zero volts in a light bulb. A light bulb is a device that requires a voltage to operate.

Answer 8

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