Light and Electricity> Electrical energy can be changed into light <#5376,19><!energy>. Lightning is a dramatic example. The powerful electric current of a lightning bolt heats up the air so hot it <#5379,3><!glows>.
A light bulb is a safer way to get light from electricity! Electricity flows through a metal coil inside the bulb. The coil heats up until it glows, giving off light. Stop the flow of electricity, and the coil cools down. It stops glowing, causing the light to “go out.”
In a neon-light sign, an electric current races through the neon gas inside a glass tube. The neon atoms become energized by the current, and give off bright red light.
Light energy can become electrical energy, too. Check out my solar-powered calculator. Light hits special solar cells on the calculator. The cells convert some of the light into electricity. When I block the light by holding my finger over the cells, the cells no longer produce electricity, and the calculator stops.
