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Article #690Re: Question about dimmer switch and lamp.
From: Steinn Sigurdsson
Date: Mon, 06 Apr 1992 16:56
Date: Mon, 06 Apr 1992 16:56
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1476 bytes
In article <1020006@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com> rrr@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com (Rudi Rynders) writes:
Can someone versed in physics please explain this phenomenon?
Given an incandescent lamp with a dimmer switch. The lamp is on.
One can then slowly turn the dimmer knob and reduce the light
intensity until the filament is just barely glowing.
If , however the lamp is off, and one slowly turns the dimmer
switch up, no matter how slow, the light always comes on rather
suddenly and much brighter than in the reverse process .
Why is that so ?
No one tackled this one?
I'd say because the filament resistance is a function of temperature,
that should suffice...
| Steinn Sigurdsson |I saw two shooting stars last night |
| Lick Observatory |I wished on them but they were only satellites |
|steinly@helios.ucsc.edu|Is it wrong to wish on space hardware? |
| "standard disclaimer" |I wish, I wish, I wish you'd care - B.B. 1983 |
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!sparky!uunet!spool.mu.edu!agate!darkstar!steinly From: steinly@topaz.ucsc.edu (Steinn Sigurdsson) Newsgroups: sci.physics Subject: Re: Question about dimmer switch and lamp. Message-ID: <STEINLY.92Apr6175636@topaz.ucsc.edu> Date: 6 Apr 92 16:56:36 GMT Article-I.D.: topaz.STEINLY.92Apr6175636 References: <1020006@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com> Sender: usenet@darkstar.ucsc.edu Organization: Lick Observatory/UCO Lines: 20 In-reply-to: rrr@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com's message of 2 Apr 92 15:19:31 GMT