Fluorescent lamp, electric discharge lamp, cooler and more efficient than incandescent lamps, that produces light by the fluorescence of a phosphor coating. A fluorescent lamp consists of a glass tube filled with a mixture of argon and mercury vapour. Metal electrodes at each end are coated with an alkaline earth oxide that gives off electrons easily. When current flows through the gas between the electrodes, the gas is ionized and emits ultraviolet radiation. The inside of the tube is coated with phosphors, substances that absorb ultraviolet radiation and fluoresce (reradiate the energy as visible light).
Because a fluorescent lightbulb does not provide light through the continual heating of a metallic filament, it consumes much less electricity than an incandescent bulb—only one-quarter the electricity or even less, by some estimates. However, up to four times the operating voltage of a fluorescent lamp is needed initially, when the lamp is switched on, in order to ionize the gas when starting. This extra voltage is supplied by a device called a ballast, which also maintains a lower operating voltage after the gas is ionized. In older fluorescent lamps the ballast is located in the lamp, separate from the bulb, and causes the audible humming or buzzing so often associated with fluorescent lamps. In newer, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), in which the fluorescent tube is coiled into a shape similar to an incandescent bulb, the ballast is nested into the cup at the base of the bulb assembly and is made of electronic components that reduce or eliminate the buzzing sound. The inclusion of a ballast in each individual bulb raises the cost of the bulb, but the overall cost to the consumer is still lower because of reduced energy consumption and the longer lifetime of the CFL.
CFLs are rated by energy use (in watts) and light output (in lumens), frequently in specific comparison with incandescent bulbs. Specific CFLs are configured for use with dimmer switches and three-way switches and in recessed fixtures.