ABSTRACT

A light source is nothing more than an object or device that produces light. The most prevalent light source that we are familiar with is the sun. One common practice for comparing light sources refers to the lumen output that is created by a lamp and is determined by measuring the actual amount of light produced by a lamp. Regardless of light source, lighting designers also make reference to the color temperature of a lamp as a way of comparing its overall spectral composition with that of other light sources. The most dominant part of many lamps is the glass enclosure, or bulb, that encases the filament and its associated support and lead wires. The tungsten-halogen lamp (TH LAMP) is a specialized version of an incandescent lamp. Plasma lamps represent another form of solid-state lighting, although some feel that these are more properly characterized as gaseous discharge light sources.