Comparing Light Output of 60W Type A and Type B Incandescent Light Bulbs

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the comparison of light output between 60W Type A and Type B incandescent light bulbs, examining factors that may influence their brightness, including filament characteristics and electrical properties.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether there is a noticeable difference in light output between the two bulb types, suggesting that any differences may be negligible due to geometric effects and variations in filament resistance.
  • Another participant agrees that there should not be a significant difference if the filament shape and temperature are similar, but raises a point about the relationship between power output and current, suggesting it should scale with current squared rather than to the fourth power.
  • A later reply expresses uncertainty about determining a "correct" answer and suggests that the forum could benefit from a mechanism to rate responses, indicating a desire for clearer evaluation of contributions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that there should not be a noticeable difference in light output between the two bulb types, but there is some disagreement regarding the specifics of how light output relates to current and temperature.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions regarding the exact relationship between current, power output, and filament characteristics, as well as the impact of geometric factors on light distribution.

fuzzMan53
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Does a 60W Type A (general service) incandescent light bulb put out more light than a 60W Type B (candelabra torpedo) incandescent light bulb?
 
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Not noticably
There might be slight geometric effects from the distance the filament is from the base an the solid angle that is blocked but compared to the variation in output from tiny changes in the filament resistance these are negligible.
Remember light output is proportional to the current^4 so variations in this dominate
 
I agree that there shouldn't be any noticeable difference given similar filament shape and temperature between the bulbs, but shouldn't that be current2? The power (light) output would scale with T4, but that power should be coming from joule heating of the filament (I2R).
 
Last edited:
Ok, thanks.

These answers seem reasonable. While I'm not sure I would know a correct answer if I saw one, shouldn't this forum have a mechanism by which I can rate the answers? Many forums these days allow the author of a thread to specify one of the replies as a "best answer" to reward the person that provided the most precise/through reply.

With Respect,

FuzzMan53
 

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