Re: Filament resistance

[Jon Bell <jtbell@cs1.presby.edu>]

 Joe Darling <jdarling@emh1.otc.cc.mo.us> wrote:
> The surface of the Sun is about 5800 K and emits spectrum of light that
> has a yellow cast.  The filment of a light bulb, if made of tungsten,
> could not be hotter than 3695 K, its melting point, and yet emits light
> that appears white, even in the small clear bulbs used to demonstrate
> series and parallel circuits.  The white light should indicate that the
> tungsten is at a higher temperature than the surface of the Sun.  What am
> I missing here?

The light from the Sun passes through several miles of air, which scatters
some of the blue.  Hence the blue sky.  Get up above the atmosphere and
the Sun will appear "whiter" than the tungsten filament.

-- 
Jon Bell <jtbell@presby.edu>                        Presbyterian College
Dept. of Physics and Computer Science        Clinton, South Carolina USA