Svoboda Igor Nikolaevich
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The debate about who was the true inventor of the incandescent lamp continues to this day. Basically, two names appear - Thomas Edison and Alexander Lodygin. In fact, the great discovery took place thanks to hard work many scientists.
Since ancient times, people have been looking for ways to illuminate at night. For example, in ancient Egypt and the Mediterranean, analogues of a kerosene lamp were used. To do this, a cotton wick was inserted into special clay vessels and olive oil was poured.
The inhabitants of the coast of the Caspian Sea used a similar device, only oil was poured into the vessel instead of oil. In the Middle Ages, clay lamps were replaced by candles made from beeswax and tallow.
But at all times, scientists and inventors have been looking for an opportunity to create a durable and safe lighting device.
After mankind learned about electricity, research reached a qualitatively new level.
For the invention of the first electric lamps suitable for commercial use, we have three scientists from different countries. Independently of each other, they carried out their experiments and eventually achieved a result that turned the world upside down.
IMPORTANT! In the 70s of the XIX century, three patents were received for latest devices– carbon incandescent lamps in vacuum flasks.
In 1874, the outstanding scientist Alexander Nikolaevich Lodygin patented his incandescent lamp in Russia.
In 1878, Joseph Wilson Swan applied for a British patent.
In 1879, the inventor Thomas Edison received an American patent.
It was Edison who created the first industrial company for the production of incandescent lamps. It is a great merit that he was able to achieve a long duration of work - more than 1200 hours - thanks to the use of carbonized bamboo fiber.
In the early 1980s, Edison and Swan organized a joint company in Britain. It was called "Edison and Swan". At that time, it became the largest manufacturer of electric lamps.
In the 90s, Alexander Lodygin moved to America, where he suggested using a tungsten or molybdenum spiral. It was another technological breakthrough. Lodygin sold his patent to General Electric, which began producing electric lamps with a tungsten filament.
And already in 1920, one of the company's employees, William David Coolidge, told the world how to produce a tungsten filament on an industrial scale. In the same year, another General Electric scientist named Irving Langmuir proposed filling the bulb of a light bulb with an inert gas.
This is what significantly increased the period of operation of the incandescent lamp, and also increased the light output.
Humanity uses these devices to this day.
History of the light bulb
Of course, the history of the creation of a lamp is inseparable from the development of such a science as electrical engineering. It originates from the discovery of electric current in the 18th century. This discovery contributed to the fact that outstanding scientists from all over the world began to study and develop electrical engineering, which by that time had become an independent science.
ON A NOTE! A distinctive feature of the "Yablochkov candle" was that it did not require a vacuum. The filament, made of kaolin, did not burn out and did not lose its properties in the open air.
And, of course, speaking about the history of electrical engineering, one cannot help but recall the scientists who turned the world upside down - Alexander Lodygin and Thomas Edison. It was they who, conducting experiments independently of each other, created an electric lamp in the 70s of the XIX century.
Alexander Lodygin - an inventor from Russia
His first lamps were a thin coal stick sandwiched between bulky copper rods. All this was in a closed glass bowl.
It was still an imperfect device, however, they began to be actively used to illuminate the buildings and streets of St. Petersburg.
In 1875, in partnership with Cohn, an improved electric lamp was produced. In it, the coals were replaced automatically, in addition, they were located in a vacuum. This development belongs to electrical engineer Vasily Fedorovich Ditrikhson.
In 1876, another researcher, Bulygin, also made adjustments. In its development, the coal was advanced as it burned.
In the late 70s, the incandescent lamp, created by Lodygin and patented in Russia, France, Great Britain, Austria and Belgium, finally came to the USA. Lieutenant Khotinsky went to the coast of America to receive ships built for the Russian fleet. It was Khotinsky who visited the laboratory and showed the “Lodygin lamp” and the “Yablochkov candle” to the American researcher Thomas Edison.
It is not known for certain how this influenced the train of thought of Edison, who himself at that time was working on the creation of artificial lighting. Be that as it may, it was Edison who brought the design of the incandescent lamp to a qualitatively new level, and also popularized it by organizing mass production. This helped to significantly reduce the cost, which allowed even the poor to buy a lamp.
Alexander Lodygin also did not stop in his zeal to improve the incandescent lamp. After moving to the USA, in 1890, Lodygin received another patent - for a lamp with a metal filament made of refractory metals - octium, iridium, rhodium, molybdenum and tungsten. It was a real breakthrough in the field of electrical engineering. The invention was a resounding success, and in 1906 the pattern for it was bought by the General Electric Company. By the way, this company belonged to Thomas Edison.
Edison's creation of the light bulb
It is generally accepted throughout the world that the electric light bulb was invented by the scientist Thomas Alva Edison.
Over the years, Edison has experimented with electrical engineering. For nearly two years he has been looking for the perfect filament.
December 20, 1879 American scientist Thomas Edison patented the electric light bulb. It is he who in the United States is considered to be the inventor of this device, although in fact Edison only improved existing developments.
AiF.ru decided to follow how the best minds of mankind created an incandescent lamp.
Why can't the light bulb have a single inventor?
The fact is that in the 19th century, scientists from around the world experimented with electricity, and they all knew very well that some materials begin to glow under the influence of current. The task of these researchers was to create such a lighting device that could be used in everyday life. He had to work at least a few hours. With this, scientists had big problems. Materials through which electricity was passed almost immediately either melted or flared up. Realizing that ignition occurs only in an oxygen environment, the inventors tried to place the burner in some kind of transparent container, inside of which there would be a vacuum or gas.
Which scientists created the first incandescent lamps?
In 1840 a British astronomer Warren De la Rue placed a coil of platinum wire in a vacuum tube and passed through it electricity. However, the cost and short term the service of this device made its practical use impractical.
In 1838 the Belgian inventor Jobar designed a carbon incandescent lamp that burned for about half an hour.
In the 50-60s of the XIX century, a German scientist Heinrich Goebel improved the incandescent lamp by creating a vacuum in the bulb around the filament. However, the design of the device turned out to be too fragile, and the lamp itself burned for only a few hours.
First commercial application
The creation of the first incandescent lamps suitable for commercial use is associated with names Alexandra Lodygin, Joseph Swan and Thomas Edison. It was they, independently of each other, who achieved a stable, bright and durable glow of carbon incandescent lamps in vacuum flasks and patented their inventions in the 1870s: in 1874 Lodygin received a Russian patent, in 1878 Swan received a British patent, and a year later he patented his invention. invention in the USA and Edison.
Edison created the first incandescent lamp company: using carbonized bamboo fiber, he and a team of scientists managed to achieve a lamp duration of more than 1200 hours - this was a technological breakthrough of that time. In the early 1880s, Edison formed a joint venture with Swan the British company Edison and Swan, which became the largest manufacturer of electric lamps of its time.
The famous inventor also had a hand in the invention of batteries - batteries that can be recharged multiple times. At the end of the 19th century, the nickel-cadmium battery was invented by the Swede Waldemar Jungner, but until they reached the United States, Edison's iron-nickel batteries were popular. For example, they were installed on the Detroit Electric electric car.
Modern incandescent lamp
In the 1890s, Lodygin, who moved to the United States, experimented with refractory materials to create an incandescent filament. He suggested using tungsten, which is used in modern light bulbs. By the way, the first commercial lamp with a tungsten filament in the United States was produced by General Electric according to the Lodygin patent, which was sold to it in 1906.
In 1910 William David Coolidge, who worked at General Electric, invented an industrial method for the production of tungsten filament, and another General Electric scientist Irving Langmuir used an inert gas to fill lamp bulbs, which significantly increased their operating time and increased light output. These are the incandescent lamps we use today.
The report on the history of the incandescent lamp Grade 7 will briefly talk about when the incandescent lamp was invented and who is the author of this invention.
"The history of the incandescent lamp" report
Incandescent lamp history of invention begins in 1809. At that time, an Englishman named Delarue creates the world's first incandescent lamp, which was based on a platinum spiral. It was used until 1854, when the German explorer Heinrich Goebel made a similar invention. True, his lamp, unlike the Delarue lamp, which was far from its modern counterpart, was more perfect. In Goebel's idea, she appeared as a vacuum vessel with a charred bamboo thread inside. For the next 5 years, the scientist continues to work on improving the lamp.
In 1874, the inventor of the new lamp was Alexander Lodygin, who created a filament lamp and even received a patent for it. His filament lamp was a vacuum vessel, where a carbon rod played the role of a pricking thread.
A similar invention was again made in 1878 by the British scientist Joseph Wilson Swan. The British lamp was a vessel with a carbon filament. Thanks to him, the invention was distinguished from others by bright lighting. At the same time, the American researcher Thomas Edison was conducting similar research in this area. In the process, he learned how to create incandescent lamps from different materials. In 1879, by trial and error, an American invented a lamp with a platinum filament inside. A year later, Thomas Edison considered that his invention was not so successful and opted for a vessel based on carbon fiber. It was the first lamp in the world that could work for 40 minutes without going out. It is thanks to the American scientist that we owe the appearance of incandescent lamps in the form in which they illuminate our homes today, as well as the cartridge, base and switch.
With the advent of the Edison light bulb, the Russian scientist Lodygin invented several types of lamps a few years later, which were based on metal filaments. His most striking invention is a lamp with a tungsten filament. The scientist sold the patent for it to the well-known company General Electric. However, the high cost of the product led to the fact that it was practically not produced.
The last inventor to contribute to the development of lamp manufacturing is Irving Langmuir. Thanks to his efforts, the incandescent lamp acquired a modern look. The scientist took a vacuum flask as a basis, filled it with an inert gas and provided it with an improved tungsten filament. So the period of its validity has increased significantly and new lamps have become available to every person in view of reliability and low cost.
We hope that the "History of the Incandescent Lamp" short message helped you prepare for the lesson. And you can shorten a short message on the topic “The History of the Incandescent Lamp” at your discretion.
It is difficult to imagine modern life without electrification and, in particular, without an electric lamp. Many are sure that the inventor of the light bulb is Thomas Edison, but in fact the history of the creation of this device is quite long and not as simple as it seems. A large number of scientists worked on the invention, without which it is now impossible to imagine life.
Invention history
People have been lighting their homes ever since they learned how to make fire. As mankind developed, a variety of substances were used as sources of artificial lighting:
- vegetable oils;
- animal fat;
- oil;
- splinter;
- natural gas.
The very first method of lighting was invented by the ancient Egyptians, who used special vessels where they poured oil and lowered cotton wicks. Since people began to extract oil, the era of kerosene lamps has come, which replaced the torches and candles. The last stage of development in this area was the invention of electric lamps.
Stages of development
It is difficult to answer the question of who invented the incandescent lamp, since a large number of scientists participated in the creation of this necessary device. At different times and at different stages, their knowledge, works and skills have been applied by many scientific minds:
Gerard Delarue and Heinrich Goebel
A French scientist first tried to create an analogue of a modern light bulb back in 1820. A platinum wire was used as a filament, which can heat up perfectly and shine brightly.
The "great-grandmother" of modern lamps has forever remained a prototype, and the author of the invention never returned to it.
German explorer Heinrich Goebel presented his own invention in 1854. At the heart of the creation of an electric light bulb lay bamboo and a vessel with evacuated air. A bamboo thread was placed in the vessel, serving as an incandescent lamp.
Goebel is credited with being the first person to invent the light bulb. used for lighting. The scientist for the first time managed to guess that the vacuum space will allow the incandescent lamp to burn longer. Thanks to the use of vacuum, the operating time of the device was extended by several hours. To create a completely airless space, the scientist took years.
Russian scientist Alexander Lodynin
Despite previous experience , the first inventor of the light bulb is the Russian scientist Alexander Lodynin. It was he who realized the dream of mankind about a constant source of illumination. The Russian engineer first presented his invention in 1872, and a year later, the first Lodynin's bulbs lit up on the streets of St. Petersburg.
This light source could work up to half an hour, and for that time it was progress. If you pump out the air, the lamp continued to work. That is, it was the first source of illumination operating in a constant mode.
Lodynin was awarded a patent for a lamp with carbon filament. Subsequently, the scientist conducted experiments on the use of various refractory materials for the rod. He was the first to suggest using tungsten for these purposes, as well as pumping air out of a light bulb, filling it with an inert gas.
Inventor Pavel Yablochkov
Another Russian inventor, Pavel Yablochkov, managed to extend the operation of electric lamps to one and a half hours. Pavel Nikolaevich, who devoted his whole life to electrical engineering, managed to create not only the first light bulb, but also became the “father” of the electric candle. Thanks to this, it became possible to illuminate the city at night.
Yablochkov's electrical invention had a low cost and could illuminate the space for an hour and a half. After burning out, the lamp was replaced with a new one. This responsibility lay with the janitors. Later, lanterns appeared with automatic replacement candles.
It was Yablochkov's invention that paved the way for the massive introduction of electricity for street lighting.
The novelty of Yablochkov's invention was that his lamps contained a kaolin filament, which did not require a vacuum for continuous burning. At the same time, the device of Russian electrical engineering required the preliminary heating of the conductor, for example, with a match.
American Thomas Edison
When they talk about the inventor who created the incandescent lamp, they always mention Thomas Edison. But few people know that the American only improved the device invented before him, filed a patent for it in time and launched mass production. Therefore, Edison is more of a businessman than a scientist, and the Russian Alexander Lodynin was the first to invent the light bulb.
In America, the invention of Lodynin became known thanks to the naval officer Khotinsky. Having visited Edison's laboratory, he gave him the inventions of Lodynin and Yablochkin.
The American finalized the novelty by using beech thread instead of a carbon rod. To come up with how to improve lamp performance, he had to make about 6000 attempts, but the goal was achieved - his light bulb could burn for almost a hundred hours. Edison patented the invention as his own, which caused a protest from Yablochkov.
The American scientist also contributed to the device, which has become necessary for all mankind. He created the base and socket for the lamp, as well as the rotary switch, without which the electric candle would not work.
From the history of creation it can be seen that many advanced scientists of that time were involved in the invention of the light bulb. Whoever was the discoverer, without this amazing invention, the world would be completely different.
From Edison's early experiments to our "fluorescent" future, this issue highlights the light bulb's history.
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1. "Bright idea."
Thomas Edison was not the only inventor of the incandescent lamp. But it was the light bulb, patented by Edison in 1880, that became popular in the market, brought light to homes and made Edison rich, who at that time was 33 years old.
2. "Light work".
In the late 19th century, Edison merged with the Thompson-Houston Electric Company to form the General Electric Company. The lamp factory, located in Harrison, New Jersey, was originally built to produce light bulbs invented by Edison, but in 1930 was converted into a radio manufacturing plant for a subsidiary of General Electric. In 1976, the plant was closed and currently a shopping center is located on this site.
3. "Golden time".
In 1928, Joan Crawford and Johnny Mack Brown danced under tungsten lamps in Our Dancing Daughters. Invented in 1903, tungsten filaments made lamps brighter and more durable, ideal for lighting newly minted Hollywood stars.
4. Bright light and big crash.
1929 marked the 50th anniversary of the Edison light bulb. On this occasion, a national celebration was planned. Anniversary events were held from May to October. The Golden Jubilee celebrations culminated in a carefully planned banquet for 500 of America's foremost scientists and intellectuals. The evening hosted by President Hoover was a resounding success. In fact, the anniversary was a farewell toast to the golden age of American invention, since nine days later.
5. Lighting the way.
In the 30s, electric light became widespread in everyday life, including the very first headlights. Not elegant, yes, but no worse than Dadaist fashion.
7. Luxury.
The post-war American boom did not stop solely at improving light bulbs. Many manufacturers have spent decades improving camera flash. And in 1955, General Electric proved that there was no better way advertising a new invention than to demonstrate it in the ears of a beautiful girl.
8. In the 1950s and 60s, the Miami-based Line Club announced a local girl who became the spokesperson for the annual Light to See charity, Miss Light. In 1954, the Miss Light crown was awarded to a University of Miami student who passed the baton to Sandy Verch. In 1955, Werch reached the finals of the Miss America Championship.
