The Nernst lamp, invented by German physicist Walther Nernst in the early 20th century, is named after its creator. The spelling of "Nernst" is pronounced /nɛʁnst/ in German, with a silent "e". In English, the "e" is pronounced, resulting in the phonetic transcription of /nɜːnst/. The Nernst lamp was notable for its high efficiency and long lifespan compared to other incandescent lamps of its time. It utilized a ceramic rod made of various metal oxides, which would heat up and emit light when an electric current was passed through it.
A Nernst lamp is a type of electric lamp that uses a ceramic rod as the light source. It was developed by German scientist Walther Nernst in the early 20th century. The lamp operates on the principle of heating a ceramic material to incandescence, rather than using a filament like traditional incandescent lamps.
The Nernst lamp consists of a ceramic rod made of a rare earth oxide, typically zirconium oxide or magnesium oxide, that has a high melting point. The rod is heated to a temperature just below its melting point, producing a bright white light. The lamp relies on the Nernst effect, which is the increase in electrical conductivity of certain materials when they are heated.
To operate the Nernst lamp, an electric current is passed through the ceramic rod. As the rod heats up, it begins to glow, emitting light. The lamp provides a steady and efficient source of light, with a long lifespan compared to other electric lamp technologies of the time.
Nernst lamps were commonly used in the early 20th century for various lighting applications, especially where a bright and steady light source was required. However, their usage declined with the development of more advanced electric lamp technologies, such as fluorescent and LED lighting. Despite its decline in popular usage, the Nernst lamp remains an important invention in the history of lighting technology.
An electric lamp in which the magnesium filament is not enclosed in a vacuum, but is exposed to the air; it gives a light of great actinic power.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
The word Nernst lamp is named after its inventor Walther Hermann Nernst. Walther Nernst was a German chemist and physicist who developed the Nernst lamp in 1897. The lamp utilized cathode rays and the incandescence principle to produce light. The lamp gained popularity due to its high efficiency and long life compared to other electric lamps existing at that time. As a tribute to its creator, it came to be known as the Nernst lamp.