What makes neon signs glow? A 360° animation - Michael Lipman
-
0:13 - 0:17When the Hoover Dam was
completed in 1936, -
0:17 - 0:20it created a huge source of
hydroelectric power -
0:20 - 0:26and zapped a sleepy desert town to life:
Las Vegas, Nevada. -
0:26 - 0:28With the power supply from the dam,
-
0:28 - 0:31Las Vegas soon exploded
with vibrant displays. -
0:31 - 0:37The source of these dazzling lights was
electrified neon gas. -
0:37 - 0:40There are two tricky obstacles
to making lighted signs -
0:40 - 0:43out of this naturally clear,
odorless gas: -
0:43 - 0:46capturing it and making it glow.
-
0:46 - 0:50French inventor Georges Claude came up
with techniques to do both. -
0:50 - 0:52In 1902,
-
0:52 - 0:57he developed a way of liquefying and
separating specific gases from the air, -
0:57 - 1:01producing neon on an industrial
scale for the first time. -
1:01 - 1:06By 1910, he had come up with a way
to trap the gas in a glass tube -
1:06 - 1:12with a special electrode at either end,
and neon lighting was born. -
1:12 - 1:14In workshops like Claude's,
-
1:14 - 1:19artisans known as tube-benders
made neon signs by hand. -
1:19 - 1:24The tube-benders heated small sections
of a long, hollow glass tube -
1:24 - 1:27and quickly bent them into shape.
-
1:27 - 1:31After the glass cooled, they attached
electrodes to each end -
1:31 - 1:35and removed the air with a vacuum pump.
-
1:35 - 1:39Then, they passed a high voltage
current through the tube -
1:39 - 1:44to remove any impurities on the
inside of the glass. -
1:44 - 1:50Finally, they pumped the neon gas in
and sealed off the electrodes. -
1:50 - 1:52When a neon sign is turned on,
-
1:52 - 1:56the electric current causes some of
the neon atoms' electrons to accelerate -
1:56 - 2:02and break free of their orbits, leaving
behind positively charged ions. -
2:02 - 2:05As these free electrons rush from
one electrode to the other, -
2:05 - 2:11they collide with more neon atoms,
causing them to ionize as well. -
2:11 - 2:15When these excited electrons fall back
to their normal energy levels, -
2:15 - 2:21their excess energy is carried away
by photons, or particles of light. -
2:21 - 2:23All this happens in an instant,
-
2:23 - 2:29and the glow from the photons is what
we see when we switch on a neon sign. -
2:29 - 2:33Though it's common to call any
gas-filled sign a "neon" sign, -
2:33 - 2:36there are actually 5 different
gases used in production. -
2:36 - 2:40Each gas emits photons of a different
wavelength when electrified, -
2:40 - 2:43which correspond to different
colors of light. -
2:43 - 2:48Neon gives off an orange-red glow, argon
glows a pale lavender, -
2:48 - 2:54helium a dusty pink, krypton a silver-
white, and xenon a light purple. -
2:54 - 2:58These 5 gases can be combined
with color-coated tubing -
2:58 - 3:04to create an electrified rainbow of
text and images. -
3:04 - 3:08Business owners soon realized how
effective these colorful beacons -
3:08 - 3:11were for attracting customers.
-
3:11 - 3:16And unlike a light bulb, a neon sign has
no incandescent filaments to burn out, -
3:16 - 3:21and can shine continuously for 40 years
before the gas depletes. -
3:21 - 3:27By the 1930s, neon signs were lighting
up storefronts all over the world. -
3:27 - 3:29Because of the glass tubes'
fragile nature, -
3:29 - 3:33it usually wasn't feasible to ship
them over long distances. -
3:33 - 3:38Instead, most neon signs were created by
local neon shops -
3:38 - 3:39and then installed nearby.
-
3:39 - 3:44Signs with humor, personality, and
intricate designs proliferated, -
3:44 - 3:47no two exactly alike.
-
3:47 - 3:49But by the end of World War II,
-
3:49 - 3:52plastics had become widely
available and inexpensive, -
3:52 - 3:57and plastic signs supplanted neon
as messengers of modernity. -
3:57 - 4:01Many towns removed neon signs they
viewed as old-fashioned. -
4:01 - 4:13Today, neon sign production is only
a fraction of what it was at its peak, -
4:13 - 4:18but the craft of tube bending lives
on relatively unchanged. -
4:18 - 4:21New creations hand-crafted
by local artisans -
4:21 - 4:24join survivors from the heyday of neon,
-
4:24 - 4:28hiding in plain sight in city streets
around the world.
- Title:
- What makes neon signs glow? A 360° animation - Michael Lipman
- Speaker:
- Michael Lipman
- Description:
-
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-makes-neon-signs-glow-a-360-animation-michael-lipman
When the Hoover Dam was completed, it created a huge source of hydroelectric power and zapped a sleepy desert town to life: Las Vegas, Nevada. With the power supply from the dam, Las Vegas soon exploded with vibrant displays. The source of these dazzling lights was electrified neon gas. In this special 360° animation, explore the colorful world of neon signs as Lippy shares what makes them glow.
Lesson by Michael Lipman, directed by Lippy.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:51
lauren mcalpine edited English subtitles for What makes neon signs glow? A 360° animation | ||
Elise Haadsma approved English subtitles for What makes neon signs glow? A 360° animation | ||
Elise Haadsma accepted English subtitles for What makes neon signs glow? A 360° animation | ||
lauren mcalpine edited English subtitles for What makes neon signs glow? A 360° animation |