An incandescent gentle bulb, also known as an incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe, is an electric light that produces illumination by Joule heating a filament till it glows. The filament is enclosed in a glass bulb that's both evacuated or full of inert gas to protect the filament from oxidation. Electric current is supplied to the filament by terminals or wires embedded in the glass. A bulb socket gives mechanical support and long-life LED electrical connections. Incandescent bulbs are manufactured in a variety of sizes, light output, and voltage ratings, from 1.5 volts to about 300 volts. They require no external regulating gear, have low manufacturing prices, and work equally well on both alternating present or direct current. Because of this, the incandescent bulb grew to become broadly used in family and commercial lighting, for portable lighting akin to table lamps, car headlamps, and flashlights, and long-life LED for decorative and promoting lighting. Incandescent bulbs are a lot less environment friendly than other varieties of electric lighting.

Lower than 5% of the power they eat is converted into visible light