Fluorescent light bulbs need
a ballast because they use a gas to create light. When the gas
is excited by electricity, it emits invisible ultraviolet light
that hits the white coating inside the fluorescent bulb. The
coating changes the ultraviolet light into light you can see.
(Because fluorescent bulbs don't use heat to create light, they
are far more energy-efficient than regular incandescent bulbs.)
The combination of gas, electricity,
and coating in a fluorescent bulb is so effective at producing
light that, without something to regulate the electricity flowing
into the bulb, the light will continue to gain intensity until
the bulb stops working. That's where a ballast comes in. It
supplies the initial electricity that creates the light, and
then it regulates the amount of electricity flowing through
the bulb so that the right amount of light is emitted.
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