The Day and Night Lamp
H. Korf's ingenious invention, which Christian Morgenstern recorded in poem form around 1900, was a day-night lamp that darkened the day when switched on, in contrast to conventional lamps, which only illuminate darkness and could be referred to as "night-day lamps". As reported by graphic designer Carl Barks, the American G. Gearloose invented a very similar lamp in 1959, which he called a "gloom light". Both inventions never made it past the idea stage and were never patented or even commercially exploited. The scientific basis for these inventions is still debated today.
It has only been possible for a few years to manufacture something very similar to the day-night lamp at an affordable price, using powerful photovoltaic elements (solar cells). As is well known, solar cells do exactly what Korf wanted to achieve with his invention: they darken the day, at least a little, because they absorb the light that they convert into electrical energy, leaving behind a reduced amount of light. Modern battery technology and energy-saving LEDs now make it possible to store the brightness taken from the day as electricity and release it again at night as light – a problem that neither Korf nor Gearloose were able to solve and which may have been partly responsible for their failure at the time.
This simple and clever kit contains a ready-made module with solar cell, rechargeable battery and amber LED, so that no electronic knowledge is required for assembly.
Contents:
- 1 cardboard sheet
- 1 sheet of transparent paper
- 1 solar cell with rechargeable battery
- 1 LED on 12 cm cable
- 1 set of instructions
Size: 120 x 120 x 85 mm
- Suitable for: secondary school
- Target group: pupils, teachers
- Educational areas: Electrical engineering, physics, technology, solar technology, energy storage
- Possible uses: Teaching aid, teaching material, student laboratory
- Skills: technical education, planning and implementing a technology-related project
Warning! This item is not a toy.
