Why do we call a zero watts bulb as it so?

In summary, the conversation discusses the concept of a zero watt bulb, commonly referred to as a "night lamp." It questions whether a bulb with zero watts truly has no power consumption and discusses the marketing tactics used by companies to round values and make false claims. The conversation also touches on the use of rounding in other industries, such as food and drink.
  • #1
Srini karthik
13
0
why do we call a zero watts bulb as it so??

a zero watts bulb is common in houses,commonly called as 'night lamp'.., if v say it as zero watts lamp., then is it conducts zero current or zero voltage?
what is the power consumption by modern led lamps and by other fluorescent lamps??
 
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  • #2


I have never heard of a zero watt bulb.

Night lights around here use as much as 4 watts.
 
  • #3


i'm going to guess it's another dishonest marketing ploy.
the wattage is a small enough that it rounds to nearest integer value of zero.

take for example a 30 milliamp LED that drops 3.5 volts

it'll dissipate 3.5 X 0.03 = 0.105 watt.

Nearest integer is zero.

Int(0.105) = 0.

the capacitor that sets current dissipates no power.

There's probably a current limiting resistor inside , maybe another 0.1 watt there.

Put you hand around it. If you can feel ANY warmth it's not zero watts.
If it were zero watts it couldn't make any light.

such marketing is an insult.


old jim
 
  • #4


Soft drink companies discovered that trick long ago. By reporting calories by serving (usually extra small servings) and rounding, diet soft drinks can have zero calories.

I'm surprised tobacco companies never picked up on that. They could probably say truthfully, "Each cigarette has zero grams of tar or nicotine."
 
  • #5


skeptic2 said:
Soft drink companies discovered that trick long ago. By reporting calories by serving (usually extra small servings) and rounding, diet soft drinks can have zero calories.

I'm surprised tobacco companies never picked up on that. They could probably say truthfully, "Each cigarette has zero grams of tar or nicotine."

And anyone with any sense and even minimal knowledge of chemistry would know that "0 Calories" is pretty much impossible for any food product. It doesn't make any sense at all.

"4 out of 5 X..." and it's big brother "9 out of 10 X..." are overused to the point of cliche, but despite being spoofed in ads now, it'll never go away because people suck at statistics and anything remotely scientific. They know it and take advantage of it.

There's a fine line between "marketing" and "lying", just fine enough for marketers to ignore it and feign ignorance. (Or worse, even when caught red-handed in a bald faced lie, "free speech")
 
  • #6


You don't get light for no power. Even the LED that I use for night night draw power.
 
  • #7


It's pedantery on behalf of either the vendors, the legislative requirements for advertising these things, or a combination thereof.

It's a bit like a peperoni sausage snack sold here in UK called 'peperami': Its ingredients include 150% pork!

(The regulations stipulate that %age content listed is; mass input of ingredients/mass of product. As peperami is made from dried pork, so it weighs less than the pork ingredients that went in.)
 
  • #8


Jiggy-Ninja said:
And anyone with any sense and even minimal knowledge of chemistry would know that "0 Calories" is pretty much impossible for any food product.
Well, pretty sure Diet Cola is composed of nothing metabolizable. OK, I guess the few mg of colouring and flavoring might count form something.

Jiggy-Ninja said:
There's a fine line between "marketing" and "lying"...
There's a line? :-p
 
  • #9


well! it's the gimmick used in sme places..,
 
  • #10


Jiggy-Ninja said:
And anyone with any sense and even minimal knowledge of chemistry would know that "0 Calories" is pretty much impossible for any food product. It doesn't make any sense at all.

They don't say 0.00 Calories or even 0.0 Calories, they're saying 0 Calories - 1 significant digit. Now if they said 0 calories, there may be an issue.
 

Related to Why do we call a zero watts bulb as it so?

1. Why is a zero watts bulb called a "zero watts" bulb?

A zero watts bulb is called so because it consumes zero watts of power. This means that it does not use any electricity and does not emit any light. It is essentially a non-functioning bulb that is used for decorative purposes rather than practical use.

2. Is a zero watts bulb completely energy efficient?

Yes, a zero watts bulb is completely energy efficient as it does not consume any power. However, it is not a viable option for lighting as it does not emit any light.

3. How does a zero watts bulb work?

A zero watts bulb does not work in the traditional sense as it does not emit any light. It is a simple circuit that has no resistance, and therefore, does not draw any current or consume any power.

4. Can a zero watts bulb be used as a night light?

No, a zero watts bulb cannot be used as a night light as it does not emit any light. It is not a practical option for lighting and is only used for decorative purposes.

5. What are the benefits of using a zero watts bulb?

The main benefit of using a zero watts bulb is that it does not consume any power and is completely energy efficient. It is also a safe option as it does not generate any heat or emit any light. Additionally, it can be used for decorative purposes and can add a unique touch to a room.

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