Explain how fluorescent tubes work

Fluorescent tubes are filled with low pressure mercury, when an electric current is passed through, the electrons in mercury are excited and move to a high energy level, this high level state is unstable and so the electron moves back to its original state, but on doing so, it emits an electromagnetic wave with energy equivalent the difference in energy level. This is UV light and the electrons in the phosphor coating inside the fluorescent tube are excited, and releases visible light when the electrons return to its orginal energy state, which provides the glow in fluorescent lights.

MW
Answered by Michael W. Physics tutor

34439 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

What is the critical angle of a beam of light leaving a transparent material with a refractive index of 2?


Calculate the root mean squared speed for 16g of oxygen gas at 50(deg Celsius) and explain why we use this instead of the average velocity of all the particles.


What is resistivity in S.I. units?


2 resistors of resistances 150 ohms and 5000 ohms respectively are in series with each other. They both are also in parallel with a 1000 ohm resistor. What is the total resistance?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning