| a tubular electric discharge lamp in which light is produced by the fluorescence of phosphors coating the inside of the tube. |
fluorescent lamp  (click for larger image in new window) n. A lamp that produces visible light by fluorescence, especially a glass tube whose inner wall is coated with a material that fluoresces when an electrical current causes a vapor within the tube to discharge electrons. |
fluorescent lamp  (fl -rěs'ənt) Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) An electric lamp that produces light through fluorescence. In most fluorescent lamps, a mixture of argon and mercury gas contained in a glass bulb is stimulated by an electric current, producing ultraviolet rays. These rays strike a fluorescent phosphor coating on the interior surface of the bulb, causing it to emit visible light. Fluorescent lamps are much more efficient than incandescent lamps because very little energy is lost as heat. Compare incandescent lamp. |