Fluorescent vs Incandescent Light Science Fair Projects

Project Title

Fluorescent vs. Incandescent Light

Purpose

The purpose of the experiment was to determine the benefits and drawbacks of fluorescent light bulbs versus incandescent light bulbs, due to the growing concern of global warming.

Procedure

The procedures involved first constructing a light box, which was done by putting six wood planks together in the shape of a cube, and inserting a lamp base. A thermometer was put in the light box, along with a light meter. A lamp, either fluorescent or incandescent, was screwed into the lamp base. The incandescent bulbsÕ wattages were forty watts, sixty watts, and one hundred watts. The fluorescent bulbsÕ wattages were nine watts, fifteen watts, and twenty-three watts. The light was turned on and timed for ten minutes. At the end of ten minutes, a light reading was taken, along with a temperature, and the process was repeated.

Conclusion

In the end, the data showed that fluorescent lights were much more efficient than incandescent lights. This was apparent because a sixty watt incandescent light bulb was just as efficient as a fifteen watt fluorescent light bulb. The scientific explanation is that incandescent light wastes energy by converting electricity into heat instead of light.