> Isn't the power rating (wattage) of a light (whether incandescent,
> fluorescent, halogen, or whatever) the power it consumes? So a 40w
> fluorescent light is brighter than a 40w incandescent bulb because it
> converts more of its input electrical energy to light energy, even
> though they both consume power at the same rate. i.e., less electrical
> energy is converted to heat energy by the fluorescent lamp. Or maybe
> I'm missing something.
You are correct in your reasoning. The reason this holds is because only an
infinitesimal amount of the electrical energy is converted to light, even
for a flourescent lamp. So a 40W incandescent will produce essentially the
same amount of heat as a 40W flourescent/halogen/mercury vapor/space heater/
power resistor.
Gee. Can we talk about something else now, like commercial garage companies
advertising on the list?? (JUST KIDDING!!)
Pat Vilbrandt Fluke Corporation Everett, Washington USA
pwv@tc.fluke.COM or: { uunet, uw-beaver, sun, microsoft }!fluke!pwv
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