Question

Name the thin wire present in the electric bulb.

Answer 1

Hint: The thin tungsten wire held up by the other two thicker wires is the element of a bulb that produces light. Current flows through the thin wire which ultimately results in a conversion of heat energy to light energy and thereby lighting up the bulb.

Complete step by step answer:
The electric bulb (incandescent bulb) consists of a globe, the filament, connecting wires and a stem, a base and inert gases filled within it.
The thin wire present inside the light bulb is named as the filament of the bulb. It is made of tungsten.
When we say an electric current flows through the bulb, we essentially mean that it flows through the filament which is connected to two thicker wires to which metal contacts are attached. Being a conductor, the current heats up the filament. This heat energy gets converted to light causing the bulb to light up.

Additional Information: The base of the electric bulb is connected to an electrical circuit via two metal contacts. The metal contacts are attached to two wires which are then connected to the filament. The filament is held in the middle of the bulb by a stem made of glass. The wires, the stem and the filament are enclosed in a glass exterior called the globe which is filled with an inert gas (argon).

Note: In metals, the electric current is produced due to the movement of free electrons present in the atoms. The moving electrons collide with each other resulting in the vibration of the atoms. This leads to the heating up of the filament. The vibrating atoms mostly release infrared radiation but when they get heated to say 2200°C, visible light will be emitted. Since the filament is thin, hence it has high resistance, it can easily heat up.