I constantly hear the term in common use "l.e.d. Light. Of course it is a light. Do you think the public is that stupid? If so, when will the majority of us get it? They have been around quite a while now.
Never underestimate the power of stupid.
I was going to go buy some LED lights, but the ATM machine wouldn’t take my PIN number.
I agree with gatorslap - they are not the same thing.
I agree. A LED is a diode. A LED light is a configuration of several diodes.
And that should be “an” LED.
I wonder how many Dopers it would take to change an LED light?
(that is, a light consisting of light-emitting LED diodes)
I agree with gatorslap. An L.E.D. is a component; an L.E.D. light is a device made from said component.
Do you not understand the contextual difference in how people use the term? Until recently using the term “LED” in casual conversation was not all that common outside of people who knew exactly what it meant. Recently there has been a big push in using LED assemblies in commercial and household light fixtures. Magazine and online articles that talk about “LED lights” in this context are (IMO) being accurate and non-redundant.
In the concert production world, we try to use fixture, instrument or luminaire with the descriptor halogen, PAR, LED etc. Sometimes it works. It confuses people to say " I think you have an LED out in that LED". Sometimes it doesn’t. If you really want to have fun, try explaining the difference between additive and subtractive color mixing.
Capt
I hate the term “incandescent light”. Of course it is a light. That’s what "incandescent’ means.
[/sarcasm]
‘light’ in that sense is an luminaire, something to produce light to see surrounding objects.
there are also LEDs in data displays, where the light produced is enough to the the data information. LEDs are also used in back lighting other types of displays.
And almost everyone has a remote control in there home that contains an LED as the emitter. An LED dark, as those IR LEDs don’t emit any visible light.
My default is this: A ‘light’ is a fixture. A ‘lamp’ is what goes into a ‘light’, and is the thing that produces the light.
I’ve never really understood why people get so upset by RAS syndrome, but it’s not really in play here. The “L” of LED stands for light in the sense of “electromagnetic radiation,” while the other “light” means a “fixture that produces light.” These aren’t the same thing even if they use the same word. It’s like arguing that Spanish Spanish must be a redundant phrase even in contexts where you need to distinguish the Spanish spoken in Spain from that spoken elsewhere.
Yeah, Wikipedia pretty much explains it:
Similarly, calling a LED a “LED diode” (light-emitting diode diode) is redundant but a “LED light” (light-emitting diode light) isn’t. Although I don’t really see why people have problems with either of these, unless you write out or say light-emitting diode instead of seeing it as L-E-D (and many people probably don’t know what LED stands for). Another example would be LCD display, but again LCD is being used in a similar way to, for example, laser (which was originally used as an acronym but is now a word itself); again, display is only redundant if you spell out “liquid crystal display”.
There is a difference though.
An LED is just a componet used for electronic devices. An LED light is something that is used to illuminate a room.
My Christmas tree is not decorated with LEDs. That’s crazy talk. It is decorated with LED lights.
And I work in the tech industry, for what that’s worth.
Besides, ATM machines, PIN numbers; yes we all know what the acronym stands for. Nobody gives a shit, except for people who are really uptight in life.
Looking at some ads last night.
So that LED flashlight should be just an LED flash?
That LED head lamp should be an LED head?
Torch.