# L.E.D. Lights...gawd **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 2, 2012, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744 "2012-12-02T06:28:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pitter\_Patter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/90db22/32.png) [@Pitter\_Patter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitter_Patter)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/1 "2012-12-02T06:28:58Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/2 "2012-12-02T06:33:55Z")
To me, [this](http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/led-rev-1.jpg) is an LED, whereas [this](http://media.toolking.com/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/y/sylvania_36008.jpg) is an LED light. ---
**Author:** ![nion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nion)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/3 "2012-12-02T07:09:37Z")
> [@Pitter\_Patter](#): > > 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? Never underestimate the power of stupid. ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/4 "2012-12-02T07:21:42Z")
I was going to go buy some LED lights, but the ATM machine wouldn’t take my PIN number. ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/5 "2012-12-02T07:27:28Z")
I agree with gatorslap - they are not the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/6 "2012-12-02T07:58:05Z")
> [@gatorslap](#): > > To me, [this](http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/led-rev-1.jpg) is an LED, whereas [this](http://media.toolking.com/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/y/sylvania_36008.jpg) is an LED light. I agree. A LED is a diode. A LED light is a configuration of several diodes. ---
**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:** [December 2, 2012, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/7 "2012-12-02T13:18:59Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I agree. A LED is a diode. A LED light is a configuration of several diodes. And that should be “an” LED. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/8 "2012-12-02T14:18:24Z")
I wonder how many Dopers it would take to change an LED light? (that is, a light consisting of light-emitting LED diodes) ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/9 "2012-12-02T16:06:41Z")
> [@gatorslap](#): > > To me, [this](http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/led-rev-1.jpg) is an LED, whereas [this](http://media.toolking.com/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/y/sylvania_36008.jpg) is an LED light. I agree with **gatorslap**. An L.E.D. is a _component_; an L.E.D. light is a device made from said component. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/10 "2012-12-02T16:13:42Z")
> [@Pitter\_Patter](#): > > 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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/11 "2012-12-02T16:27:44Z")
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** ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/12 "2012-12-02T16:57:25Z")
I hate the term “incandescent light”. Of course it is a light. That’s what "incandescent’ means. [/sarcasm] ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/13 "2012-12-02T18:10:37Z")
‘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. ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/14 "2012-12-02T18:35:55Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/15 "2012-12-02T18:43:17Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > ‘light’ in that sense is an luminaire, something to produce light to see surrounding objects. My default is this: [A ‘light’ is a fixture](http://static.bhphoto.com/images/images200x200/31872.jpg). [A ‘lamp’ is what goes into a ‘light’](http://static.bhphoto.com/images/images150x150/243509.jpg), and is the thing that produces the light. ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/16 "2012-12-02T21:31:22Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/17 "2012-12-02T22:00:08Z")
> [@RadicalPi](#): > > 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](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAS_syndrome) pretty much explains it: > [@](#): > > Sometimes the presence of repeated words does not create a redundant phrase. For example, a “redundant RAID (redundant array of inexpensive/independent disks)” may in fact be a backup RAID in the system being described, “laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) light” is light produced by a light amplification process, “CSS (cascading style sheets) sheet” is used to express a sheet written in the language. 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”. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/18 "2012-12-03T02:38:11Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/19 "2012-12-03T14:32:26Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![bahimes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@bahimes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bahimes)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744/20 "2012-12-03T14:53:59Z")
Torch. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/l-e-d-lights-gawd/642744.md?page=2)