LED is an acronym for light emitting diode. LED lights are used in many modern-day electronics, from flashlights to computers and many other items. These lights have become less expensive to manufacture and more useful than ever, and they are replacing traditional small lights in many electronics.
History
In the 1920s, Oleg Vladimirovich Losev invented the common LED light. The Russian radio technician noticed that when you pass an electric current through diodes, often used in radio receivers, that the diodes would emit light. The discovery, however, wouldn't be fully appreciated until several decades later. At the time, there wasn't an understanding of the use of LED light. It wasn't until the 1960s, when inventors from Texas Instruments and General Electric Co. were finding uses for LED that production was established.
Function
LED lights were originally used as indicator lights for laboratory and computer equipment. The light wasn't bright enough to do much more than be indicators, but the lights lasted longer than regular incandescent light bulbs, which made them more reliable. The lights were later improved for use in television sets, radios, watches and other household electronic equipment. Through the improvement of colors and sizes, LED lights are used in traffic lights, billboards and road signs.
Features
LED lights are significant because they do not use filaments to produce light, like traditional household light bulbs. LED lights use a semiconductor diode, using an effect that is called electroluminescence. LED emits a light when the diode is switched on and electrons recombine with energy. When this happens, it releases light. The colors of LEDs are dependent on the energy gap within the semiconductor. LED lights are usually very small, usually less than a millimeter. Because LEDs don't use filaments, they last much longer than traditional light bulbs and are not limited to needing a vacuum environment, as within a traditional light bulb.
Considerations
LED light bulbs are generally less expensive compared with decades ago, ranging in 2009 from a few cents for one to $5 for a package of 10, depending on the size of the LED bulb, colors, etc. LED bulbs come in colors, the common colors being white, red, green and yellow. LEDs are useful for their longer lifetime over incandescent bulbs, low use of energy needed to stay lit, the ability of LED bulbs to be created in 1 mm sizes (incandescent light bulbs are generally not made in such small sizes) and more. The light power behind LED lights have increased, so they are now used in general and automotive lighting.
Considerations
LED bulbs are increasingly replacing traditional light bulbs, as LED lights become less expensive over time and as manufacturing and need for these bulbs increase. However, LED lighting is initially more expensive that traditional light bulbs. The bigger investment in LED light often works out in the long run, as LED lights last longer. LED lights can last up to 50,000 to 100,000 hours, depending on how they were made. They must be used carefully, because LED produces heat that could result in overheating in some cases. One must also be careful as the crisp blue or white spectrum of light and brightness of LED lights may be harmful to eyes.
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