WORLD ACHIEVEMENTS

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 12822, 17 August 1939, Page 2

WORLD ACHIEVEMENTS

RET YOUR RIGHT SHINE Science has .gone a long way in the last 20 years, and among the most remarkable achievements made by practical scientists have been advances in the manufacture of lamps. There is a romance behind this branch of scientific investigation; but we may note specially-that, quite apart from what might be called “showpieces” of special manufacture, there are now astonishing turned out for regular use. Among these are the . great lamps used, at some of the world’s airports. Each bulb is of about a quarter of a million candle-power. The size of a large pumpkin, it requires 125 horsepower to light it, electricity rushing through at tremendous pressure. A bulb costs about £ 100.

The light is produced by tightly coiled tungsten filaments, Which generate terrific heat, as only a tiny fraction of the energy used in an incandescent lamp is converted into light, most of the energy being changed to. heat. ,

As it happens a smaller bulb is perhaps more useful for regular aerodrome work —one which can be seen 50 miles away. It takes about 30,000 watts, and gives a light of 60,'000 candlepower. Unfortunately these lamps have a life of no more than about 100 hours.

We may be sure that men who have brains enough to invent such a wonderful lamp will soon give us a still more wonderful one, with a much longer life.