Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

What is the difference between different wattages in a light bulb?

Thank You!!!

This is a pretty basic question about light bulbs. If you haven't already, I suggest you do some initial research. Here is an excellent discussion about light bulbs you might want to look at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incandescent_light_bulb

Tell us a bit more about the experiment you are interested in doing.

The term "wattage" refers to Power, which has the units Watts (W)

P = V (voltage) x I (current)

In addition, since V = I x R, the Power formula comes in different forms (a total of 3), it is just a matter of plugging in for the different variables.

This website should help some:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question501.htm