Courses
Courses for Kids
Free study material
Offline Centres
More
Store Icon
Store

Why is tungsten used in the manufacture of electric bulbs?
${\text{A}}{\text{.}}$ It is cheaper than other metals
${\text{B}}{\text{.}}$ It is both durable and economical
${\text{C}}{\text{.}}$ It has high melting point
${\text{D}}{\text{.}}$ It makes the bulb light brighter

seo-qna
SearchIcon
Answer
VerifiedVerified
459.3k+ views
Hint- Here, we will proceed by defining the element tungsten along with where it is located on the periodic table. Then, we will mention the important properties of this element and due to that properties we will specify the use of this element.

Complete answer:
Tungsten (W) is also called wolfram. It is a chemical element which is an exceptionally strong refractory metal of Group 6 of the periodic table which is used in steels to increase the hardness and the strength and in lamp filaments.
Tungsten is known to be one of the toughest things found in nature.Its melting is almost impossible and they are super dense. Pure tungsten is a silver-white metal, which can be combustible and can ignite spontaneously when made into a fine powder. Natural tungsten has five stable isotopes and an additional 21 unstable isotopes.
Tungsten is used in a variety of ways since it is very strong and durable. This is very corrosion resistant and has the highest melting point and maximum tensile strength of any element. However, its strength comes when it is transformed into compounds. Pure tungsten is too soft.
Tungsten has an atomic number of 74. Its atomic symbol is W. The atomic weight of tungsten is 183.84 u. It has a high melting point of 3422${}^0{\text{C}}$ and a boiling point of 5555${}^0{\text{C}}$.
When electricity is passed through the electric bulb, the filament of the bulb glows at nearly 2500${}^0{\text{C}}$ and the suitable material for the filament will be the one having as high melting point as possible so that the filament doesn’t melts. That’s why tungsten (having a melting point of 3422${}^0{\text{C}}$) is the required material of which the filament of the electric bulb is made up of.
Therefore, due to its high melting point, tungsten is used in the manufacture of the electric bulbs.

Hence, option C is correct.

Note- Tungsten has the highest melting point of all metals, and is alloyed to reinforce them with other metals. Tungsten and its alloys are used in many applications of high temperatures, such as arc-welding electrodes and heating elements in high temperature furnaces. Tungsten carbide is incredibly hard and very important for the metalworking, mining and petroleum industries.