using your understanding of the law of conservation of energy, explain why incandescent lightbulbs are said to be not very efficient.

1 answer

According to the law of conservation of energy, energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transferred or converted from one form to another. Incandescent lightbulbs are considered to be not very efficient because they convert a large portion of their energy into heat rather than light.

In an incandescent lightbulb, an electric current passes through a filament, which becomes extremely hot and emits light as a result. However, the filament also produces a significant amount of heat due to its high temperature. This heat energy is considered wasted as it does not contribute to the primary purpose of producing light.

As a consequence, the energy efficiency of incandescent lightbulbs is relatively low. The majority of the electrical energy supplied to the bulb is converted into heat, while only a small portion is transformed into visible light. This inefficiency is a result of the inherent nature of incandescent bulbs and their method of operation.

To improve energy efficiency, modern lighting technologies such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been developed. These alternatives convert a significantly larger proportion of electrical energy into visible light while minimizing heat production.