# Do light bulbs ever burn out while they're on??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 11, 2004, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547 "2004-07-11T08:16:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/1 "2004-07-11T08:16:51Z")
In all my life I don’t think I’ve ever seen a lightbulb burn out while it was on, nor have I ever noticed that a lightbulb had shuffled off it’s mortal coil (pun intended) while it was turned off. It’s always _as_ the light is being turned on, there’s a quick flash, the light comes on for an instant, then there’s an audible “crack”, then the light is out. So, does it ever happen. Will a lightbulb ever burn out after it’s been on for ten minutes? a few hours? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/2 "2004-07-11T08:25:54Z")
It’s happened to me. But the burning-out when turning-on phenomenon is much more common. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/3 "2004-07-11T10:36:56Z")
If a light is left on all the time, then it has to burn out while it’s on. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/4 "2004-07-11T12:50:14Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > If a light is left on all the time, then it has to burn out while it’s on. Are you [sure](http://www.centennialbulb.org/) about that? ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/5 "2004-07-11T13:01:55Z")
Yes, it definitely happens. It certainly happened to me, so except if I have some mysterious power making the lighbulbs burn out, it’s probably normal. ---
**Author:** ![Thin\_Ice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@Thin\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thin_Ice)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/6 "2004-07-11T14:42:45Z")
How can they do otherwise? When a bulb is off there’s no current flowing thru the filament to cause it to burn out; and if for some reason it did burn out while it was off, you wouldn’t know it. The filament can be broken by rough handling of the lamp, though. ---
**Author:** ![Pablito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@Pablito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pablito)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/7 "2004-07-11T15:02:14Z")
It happens, but it’s less likely to happen than when you throw the switch. Here’s why: It’s harder for the filament of the bulb to ‘turn on’ than it is for it to stay on. That’s because throwing the switch initiates a surge of electricity through the filament, causing it to suddenly heat up. Once it’s ‘on’, the situation is pretty static and it’s easier to maintain. Over time (i.e., thousands of on/off episodes) the tungsten gradually weakens to the point that it’s unable to continue to handle the sudden surge of electricity that happens when the circuit is completed, but it’s still strong enough to keep the circuit complete). You turn it off, not knowing that it is now too weak to start up again, then the next time you turn it on, ‘pop!’, the bulb burns out. Anyway, that’s my layman’s understanding. Someone will be along shortly to amplify and correct this. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/8 "2004-07-11T16:05:01Z")
This feels like the classic “why don’t I ever see dead birds?” question. I’ve had a ton of lightbulbs burn out while I was sitting there reading, say. And I’ve seen a ton of dead birds. But never the green flash at sunset. This makes me feel phenomenologically all alone. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/9 "2004-07-11T16:08:59Z")
It happens to me fairly regularly. In fact,an ex-girlfriend seemed to think that I generated some sort of field causing it, it happened so often. (She didn’t really think that, she just liked to say it.) ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/10 "2004-07-11T16:26:13Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Are you [sure](http://www.centennialbulb.org/) about that? I just KNEW somebody was going to bring up that damned light bulb. I think they ought to name the bulb “Byron”. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/11 "2004-07-11T16:30:17Z")
Its certainly less common (for the reasons mentioned above), but I’ve had it happnen once or twice. Usually it flickers for a second or two than just cuts out. ---
**Author:** ![Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phedre_no_Delaunay)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/12 "2004-07-11T18:24:31Z")
This just happened in my house a couple of days ago. I was sitting in my living room watching TV on the sofa (from which I have a view of the kitchen door and could see the light coming from there.) Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash and heard a soft _POP_ and then the kitchen went dark. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/13 "2004-07-11T18:30:30Z")
> [@Shoshana](#): > > This feels like the classic “why don’t I ever see dead birds?” question. I’ve had a ton of lightbulbs burn out while I was sitting there reading, say. And I’ve seen a ton of dead birds. But never the green flash at sunset. This makes me feel phenomenologically all alone. Green flash? What green flash? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/14 "2004-07-11T18:41:51Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Green flash? What green flash? [This one](http://mintaka.sdsu.edu/GF/). ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/15 "2004-07-11T20:41:27Z")
Get a shop light. Then count the number of times you swear while using one. Report the number back here. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/16 "2004-07-12T00:06:02Z")
> [@ParentalAdvisory](#): > > Get a shop light. Then count the number of times you swear while using one. Report the number back here. Using an incandescent shop light is the true test of a person’s patience. Or sanity. A [fluorescent shop light](http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&langId=-1&catalogId=4006970&PHOTOS=on&productId=13282&categoryId=1480) is the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![LuckySevens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@LuckySevens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LuckySevens)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/17 "2004-07-12T00:22:23Z")
> [@Shoshana](#): > > This feels like the classic “why don’t I ever see dead birds?” question. I’ve had a ton of lightbulbs burn out while I was sitting there reading, say. And I’ve seen a ton of dead birds. But never the green flash at sunset. This makes me feel phenomenologically all alone. slight hijack: thats a good question about the birds id love an answer to 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/18 "2004-07-12T00:45:25Z")
> [@LuckySevens](#): > > thats a good question about the birds id love an answer to 😃 The old, sick and dying are quickly consumed by local predators. Scavengers take care of most of the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/19 "2004-07-12T00:48:07Z")
> [@LuckySevens](#): > > slight hijack: > > thats a good question about the birds id love an answer to 😃 The Master speaks: [Where are all the dead pigeons?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_083.html) ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547/20 "2004-07-12T00:48:57Z")
> [@](#): > > The old, sick and dying are quickly consumed by local predators. Scavengers take care of most of the rest. Or come to my neighborhood, where the cats kill the birds but can’t be bothered to eat them. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-light-bulbs-ever-burn-out-while-theyre-on/254547.md?page=2)