THE LIGHT BULB

Thomas Edison
Who was Thomas Edison?
◦ Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October ◦ He was a prolific inventor, holding 1,093 US
18, 1931) was an American inventor and patents in his name as well as in other
businessman who has been described as America's
countries.
greatest inventor.
◦ His most famous and most resemble invention
was the light bulb.
◦ He developed many devices in many different fields.

◦ He was one of the first inventors to apply the

principles of organized science and teamwork to the
process of invention, working with many researchers
and employees. He established the first industrial
research laboratory.
EARLY RESEARCH
◦ The story of the light bulb begins long before
Edison patented the first commercially
successful bulb in 1879. In 1800, Italian
inventor Alessandro Volta developed the first
practical method of generating electricity, the
voltaic pile.

◦ Volta's glowing copper wire is also considered

to be one of the earliest manifestations of
incandescent lighting.
Joseph Swan vs. Thomas Edison
◦ In 1850, English chemist Joseph Swan tackled
developed a light bulb that used carbonized paper
filaments in place of ones made of platinum.

◦ Edison realized that the problem with Swan's

design was the filament. A thin filament with high
electrical resistance would make a lamp practical
because it would require only a little current to
make it glow.

◦ Edison demonstrated his light bulb in December

1879.
The first practical incandescent light bulb

◦ Edison and his team of researchers in Edison's

laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J., tested more
than 3,000 designs for bulbs between 1878
and 1880.

◦ Edison spent the next year finding the perfect

filament for his new bulb, testing more than
6,000 plants to determine which material
would burn the longest.
Why was it important?
◦ The electric light bulb has been called the most important invention since man-made fire. The light bulb helped to establish
social order after sundown, extended the workday well into the night, and allowed us to navigate and travel safely in the dark.
Without the light bulb, there would be no nightlife.
THANK YOU!