Physics Of Neon Signs

William Ramsey and M.W. Travers discovered Neon in 1898. The first person to invent a neon lamp was Georges Claude. Georges Claude displayed the first neon lamp to the public on December 11, 1910. In 1923 Georges and his French company Claude Neon introduced neon gas signs to the United States. Neon is a noble gas that produced a colored glow when excited by electricity passing through a glass tube in which the gas is confined and it produced a reddish orange color. Argon and Mercury is the most often used in neon signs. The gas is introduced into the glass tubing used in neon signs by the glass being heated by lit gas and forced air. When energy is given to the neon gas the electrons become excited and the neon tube produces light. Some different ways colored light can be

The word neon comes from the Greek “neo” which means the new gas. Neon is a rare gaseous element present in the atmosphere to the extent of 1 part in 65,000 of air. Neon lighting quickly became a popular fixture in outdoor advertising, visible even in daylight. Hollow gas tubes used to make neon lamps come in 4, 5, and 8 ft lengths. The theory behind neon sign technology dates back to 1675 before the age of electricity when the french astronomer Jean Picard observed a faint glow in a mercury barometer tube. When the tube was shaken a glow called barometric light occurred but the cause of the light was not understood at that time. In 1855 the geissler tube was invented named after Heinrich Geissler a German glassblower and physicist. The importance of the geissler tube was that after electrical generators were invented many inventors began conducting experiments with geissler tubes , electric power and various gases. When a geissler tube was placed under low pressure and electrical coltage was applied the gas would glow. The first two signs that were sold in the United States were to a Packard car dealership in Los