How do we use light?

Harnessing the energy in fire is considered one of the first technologies human beings invented. Fire provided two forms of energy, heat and light. Survival depended on our ability to cook food, defend against predators and helped us see in darkness.

Over time as our cities grew and we used fire to generate steam in the industrial revolution using fire to heat and light our homes became dangerous. This led to Thomas Edison inventing the electrical light, where electricity passing through a tungsten wire created bright light without the danger of fire.

Light energy could now be used anytime and our society and culture changed forever! As the world population grew the demand for electric light energy increased and new technologies produce light using less electricity than ever.

Light Emitting Diodes (LED) technology now can be found almost anywhere in the world. The new technology produces an immense amount of light with very little electricity. These new LED are used in many different tools we use every day, from cell phones, to TVs, to street lights,, computer technologies, to anything we need illuminated.

LED technology has become one of the most important sources of light energy in the world today. Search around your house, see if you can all all the different LED lights sources in all the different technologies you use every day.