Fluorescent – The word ‘fluorescent’  is derived from the mineral ‘fluorsoar’ in different colors. Some minerals fluorescence only when they are in gas form or a liquid form, still there is others as solid material. The most important one is solid crystal powders, which are called phosphorus.

Work of Fluorescent Light – A fluorescent lamp or tube is a low pressure mercury vapour gas-discharge lamp, which uses fluorescence to produce visible light. Fluorescence comes when the excited rays fall on fluorescent material and get absorbed. Now, these rays are in form of energy. Certain atoms within the material take some of this energy and get excited. After a while in this excited state, they return again to their natural original state and give off extra energy and have absorbed in the form of light.  The fluorescent lamps work on this system. When mercury vapour is put in the tube or lamp, an electric current is passed through the tube as a result ultra violet rays are produced. The inside wall of lamp or tube is coated with phosphorus, which absorbs all the ultra violet rays and becomes excited and gives ogg light.

A fluorescent lamp converts an electric energy into visible light mote efficiently than incandescent lamps. The luminous efficiency of fluorescent lighting system is 50 to 100 lumens per watt, which is about four times of incandescent bulbs efficiency. For example, a 100 watts of tungsten filament incandescent lamp may convert only 5 percent of power input to visible white light.