How Does a Flashlight Work?

What would you do if suddenly the power went off? You must be looking for a flashlight, isn’t it? Most of the houses have flashlights for emergency purposes in case they face power outages. It is a simple and easy device that produces light with a press of a button. Sometimes, children like to use flashlights to play or perform some kind of experiments at home. How does a flashlight work? Children might be aware of the device but would not know the concept behind how it works. Therefore, you can teach how a flashlight works by conducting a science experiment for kids at home. 

Contents

• What is a Flashlight?
• Parts of a Flashlight
• Fun Facts about a Flashlight
• Easy Science Project: How Does a Flashlight Work?
• Aim of the Project
• Materials Required
• Procedure
• Result
• Benefits of Learning about a Flashlight
• Frequently Asked Questions on How Does a Flashlight Work?

Before learning about how a flashlight works, you need to teach kids about what a flashlight is. This makes it easier for children to understand the concept of flashlights easily. How does a flashlight work? The flashlight consists of parts that enable it to produce light easily. Learning about flashlights can be one of the interesting DIY science projects ideas where they can learn to make their own flashlight and observe the process by themselves. 

What is a Flashlight?

A flashlight is a hand-held electrical device that produces light. In today’s world, every household has a flashlight that is used in case of an emergency or a power outage. These are portable and extremely easy to carry around. Before the invention of flashlights, people used to light lamps during power outages. Today, we have flashlights that make it easier for everyone to see objects even when there is no power. It is not only used at home but also for the areas where you feel light is required to see the objects during trekking, mining, camping, etc. 

There are different types of flashlights available in the form of a hand-held device, pen, helmet, lamp, etc. The different parts of a flashlight are the case, contacts, switch, reflector, lamp, lens and batteries. Children should also be aware of the difference between traditional and LED (Light-emitting diode) flashlights. They both generate light, but the power consumption is less in LEDs as compared to traditional ones. 

Parts of a Flashlight

Children must have seen the flashlight but might not be aware of the parts found in the flashlight that helps in producing light. Most of the common flashlights consist of the following parts given below.

• Case: This is the exterior part of a flashlight that protects the inner components of the device. It is very strong and durable. 
• Contacts: This is a strip of copper metal that allows electricity to flow from positive to negative terminals of the battery. 
• Lamp: This is a bulb used for emitting the light. 
• Switch: This is a turn off and on button on the device that signals the flow of electricity to light or switch off the bulb. 
• Reflector: It is a shiny aluminum-coated plastic situated in front of the bulb that redirects the rays into beams. 
• Lens: This is the protective layer on the bulb that protects it from getting damaged. 
• Batteries: To activate the flow of electricity in the device, batteries are used. 

Fun Facts about Flashlight 

Some of the interesting facts about flashlights for kids are mentioned below:

• Flashlights are also known as torches in other countries. 
• The advanced flashlights consist of LEDs. 
• The principle of flashlights has been used for table lamps, helmet lights, pen lights, etc. 
• Flashlights are not only used in households but also by trekkers, mountaineers, campers, miners, etc. 
• Around 90 percent of the flashlights work in a similar way. 
• It requires batteries to emit light.
• The first-ever flashlight had 3D batteries. 
• The common source of light in the flashlight is an incandescent light bulb.
• The first flashlight was invented in 1899. 
• A flashlight consists of a battery, reflector, lamp, lens, switch and case. 
• Flashlights are odorless and emit less heat compared to lanterns and candles. 
• LED flashlights were made available in the early 2000s. 
• Most flashlights have LEDs or a bulb. 
• The bulb of the flashlight is covered by a lens so that it does not break or get damaged easily. 
• The most common reflector types used in flashlights are orange peel. 
• Most of the flashlights are made up of aluminum, plastic or steel. 
• The case of the flashlight holds internal components. 

Easy Science Project: How Does a Flashlight Work?

When you find yourself locked in a room with no electricity, the best option is to find a flashlight that helps you in seeing things in the dark. But, the thing is, how does it work? Young children must learn how a flashlight works and its applications. To make them understand in a much better way, you can conduct a simple experiment at home. It is extremely important for children to perform the experiment under the supervision of their parents or teachers. 

Aim of the Project 

To experiment and observe the working of flashlights using materials available at home. Record the observations in a book. 

Materials Required 

• A paper
• A small bulb
• A tape
• Two copper insulated wires
• Two batteries
• A small piece of aluminum foil

Procedure 

• Take two batteries and tape them together in such a way that it does not move and is intact. 
• Take a wire cut at both ends. Place one end of the wire at the base of the battery in such a way that it makes a move.
• Take a small piece of aluminum foil and fold them multiple times and place it under the small bulb. 
• Then, place the bulb on the other end of the battery. 
• Later, connect the other end of the wire to the bulb.
• Take a tape and wrap the bulb and the battery securely so that it does not move. 
• Then, cover the battery and the bulb with a sheet of paper. Make sure that the bulb is visible and the rest is covered with paper. 
• Finally, touch the other end of the wire to the base of the battery to check whether the bulb glows or not. 
• Observe and record the changes. 

Result

It was observed that there was a flow of electricity between one end of the wire touching the base of the battery and the other end of the wire touching the bulb connected to the base of the battery. The batteries are connected in such a way that there is a flow of electrons from positive to negative electrodes. There is a generation of electricity which makes the bulb glow by producing the light. The electricity flows through the wire connected to the positive terminal of the battery to the bulb of the negative terminal of the battery. Therefore, the flow of electrons from positive to negative terminals enables the device to produce light. If you want to turn off the light of the bulb, detach the wire from the battery in order to break the path that allows electrons to flow. 

Benefits of Learning about a Flashlight

Some of the benefits of learning about flashlights are mentioned below:

• Increases knowledge on the mechanism of flashlights.
• Enables children to learn and understand about each and every part of a flashlight. 
• Increases understanding of how a flashlight works. 
• Enables children to use the flashlight in order to see things in the dark and use them for emergency purposes due to a power outage. 
• Creates interest among children to perform experiments on how a flashlight works. 
• Promotes engagement and entertainment while performing science experiments using affordable materials available at home. 
• Enables children to play games and activities that require flashlights. 
• Helps in understanding the importance of flashlights. 
• Enables children to perform experiments related to flashlights easily. 
• Increases knowledge about electrical devices and different types of flashlights such as solar-powered flashlights, incandescent light bulbs flashlights, shake flashlights, etc. 

To know more information, explore science games for kids, STEM activities for kids in the kids learning section at Osmo.

Frequently Asked Questions on How Does a Flashlight Work?