Before the advent of the electric light, the general use of the lighting tool is the kerosene lamp or gas lamp. This lamp burns kerosene or gas, therefore, there is a strong black smoke and pungent odor, and to often add fuel, scrub shade, and therefore very inconvenient. More seriously, the light is very easy to cause a fire disaster. For many years, many scientists have tried their best to invent a safe and convenient electric lamp.
At the beginning of nineteenth Century, a British chemical household batteries and two carbon rods, made the world's first arc lamp. But this kind of light is too strong, can only be installed on the street or square, ordinary families can not use. Many scientists have brains, household electric lamp wants to create a cheap, durable.
This day has finally arrived. In October 21, 1879, an American inventor, through long repeated experiments, finally lit the world's first electric lamp with practical value. Since then, the name of the inventor, as he invented the electric light, into the millions of households. He was praised as the “king of the invention” Edison.
February 11, 1847, Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, the United states. He lives only in school read books for three months, but he was studious, diligent in thinking, the invention of electric light, phonograph, movie cameras and other 1000 kinds of results, made a significant contribution to human beings.
When Edison was 12 years old, he indulged in science experiments, through their own diligently to learn and experiment, at the age of 16, he invented the automatic telegraph to send a signal every hour. Later, after another invention of the automatic ticket machine, the first practical typewriter, double and four automatic telegraph, telephone and phonograph etc.. With the results of these inventions Edison is not satisfied, in September 1878, Edison decided to electric lighting this fortress launched an attack. He has read a lot of books on electricity lighting, determined to make the price cheap, durable, and safe and convenient electric light.
He began to experiment with a white hot light. A small piece of heat resistance in the glass bulb, when the current to burn it to the extent of the heat, it is hot and luminous. He first thought of charcoal, and then put a small cut into a glass bulb, just a power can be broken immediately.
“What is the reason?” Edison picked up the broken into two carbon wire segments, and then look at the glass bulb, after a long time, suddenly thought, “Oh, maybe because there are air, oxygen in the air and help carbon wire burning, causing it to immediately cut off!” so he used his hand made an air bubble in the glass removed as much as possible. A power, really did not immediately put out. But 8 minutes later, the lights went out.
But no matter how to say, Edison finally found: when the vacuum state is very important, the key is carbon filament, the crux of the problem here.
So what kind of heat resistant material should be chosen?
Edison thought, the highest melting point, strong heat resistance to platinum! So, Edison and his aides, with platinum tried several times, but the high melting point of platinum, although the light emitting time extended a lot, but from time to time to turn off the automatic automatic light, is still not ideal.
Edison was not discouraged and went on with his experiments. He has tried the barium, titanium and indium and other rare metals, the effect is not very ideal.
After a period of time, the experimental work on the front of Edison made a summary, all kinds of heat-resistant materials own can think of writing, a total of more than 1600 kinds.
Next, he and aides will be arranged the 1600 kinds of heat resistant materials to test, can try to try, or the use of platinum is the most appropriate. Because of the improved pumping method, the vacuum degree of the glass bulb is higher, the life of the lamp is prolonged to 2 hours. But this is made of platinum materials made of light, the price is too expensive, who is willing to spend a lot of money to buy only 2 hours of light?
The experimental work was in the doldrums, Edison very distressed, in a cold winter, Edison sit by the fire, looking at the burning charcoal, the mouth can not help but automatic speaking: “carbon......”
Do the available charcoal charcoal has tried to do? Edison felt hot, shoving the neck scarf off, see this scarf with cloth is made of cotton, Edison's mind suddenly had an idea:
Right! The fiber of the cotton yarn is better than that of the wood, can you use this kind of material?
He hastily pulled off a cotton yarn from the scarf, baked in the fire for a long time, the cotton yarn into a char. He carefully put the wire into a glass bulb, a test, the effect is very good.
Edison very happy, and then made a lot of cotton yarn made of carbon fiber, conducted a number of consecutive tests. The life of a bulb extended for 13 hours, then 45 hours.
The news spread, a sensation throughout the world. The London gas stock price plunged, the gas line also appeared a mess. People have a feeling, lit the gas lamp is about to become history, the future will be the era of lightning.
We have to congratulate Edison, lovely Edison did no happy appearance, shook his head and said: “no, I still have to find other materials!”
“Why, it's not enough for 45 hours,” the assistant asked in surprise. “No way! I hope it will be 1000 hours, it's 16000 hours,” Edison replied.
Edison inventing the light bulb did not 1500 many experiments to find suitable lamp filament material, it was ridiculed, he said: _Mr. Edison, you have failed in 1500 many times._ Edison replied: _No I have not failed, I have done is found in more than 1500 kinds of materials are not suitable for the filament lamp. _After further testing, Edison found that the Japanese use bamboo charcoal for the best filament. Until 1906, Edison has to do to switch to tungsten, so that the quality has improved light bulb, has been in use to this day.
One day Thomas Edison came home and gave a paper to his mother. He toldher, _My teacher gave this paper to me and told me to only give it to mymother._
His mother’s eyes were tearful as she read the letter out loud to her child:
Your son is a genius. This school is too small for him and doesn’t have enoughgood teachers for training him. Please teach him yourself.
After many, many years, after Edison’s mother died and he was now one of thegreatest inventors of the century. One day he was looking through old familythings. Suddenly he saw a folded paper in the corner of a drawer in a desk. Hetook it and opened it the paper was written: Your son is addled [mentallyill] and cannot think clearly. We won’t let him come to school any more.
Edison cried for hours and then he wrote in his diary: “Thomas Alva Edisonwas an addled child that, by a hero mother, became the genius of the century.”
Edison was born in Ohio on February 11, father is a farmer, his mother was a village teacher. The small Edison curious every question, what want to try it by he was 5-year-old, one day after breakfast, the parents found that he was lost until the evening before the huts where the presence of the yard to find him. At this point, he was engrossed squatted in a chicken coop. _You drill doing in this dirty place?_ The father asked. _I'm hatching chicks._ Edison replied. _How can you hatched chicken?_ Father dumbfounding. _No, can hatch!_ Edison argued that, _the hen is hatching chicks._ _You hens?_ The father pulling him out of the chicken coop. _Why hen hatched chicks, I can not do?