Neon lamp

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/neon-lamp

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the lamp classification?Miniature gas-discharge lamp, specifically a glow lamp
2. Why does a neon lamp glow orange?When the lamp is powered, the gas inside—usually pure neon—gets excited. The excited neon atoms release light in the red‑orange part of the spectrum, giving the lamp its bright orange glow.
3. How does a neon lamp start glowing?First, a high voltage called the striking voltage is applied. This accelerates free electrons, which collide with gas atoms, excite them, and then the atoms release photons that we see as light.

Gas discharge: The passage of an electric current through a gas, leading to ionization and light emission.
Negative glow discharge: A luminous phenomenon occurring near the cathode in a low-pressure gas discharge.
Striking voltage: The minimum voltage required to initiate electrical breakdown and current flow in a gas.
Mean free path: The average distance a particle travels between collisions with other particles.