Why are full spectrum bulbs called that when they're not full spectrum?

Question

With a peak light color temperature of 5000K, which is 600 nonometers, what makes them any more 'full spectrum' than a bulb with any other peak color temperature?

Answer 1

That is just the "peak"; there's a distribution of temperature and consequent wavelengths around all bulbs save the laser kind. So the full spectrum claim simply means that distribution runs the gamut from UV at one end to IR at the other end of the light spectrum. The result of which is to emulate sunlight, which is THE full spectrum by definition.

Answer 2

And why do marketers sell fuel with "New super Zoom"

Or margarine with "active heart improvement technology"

Or a deodorant with "real pulling power"



Marketers are given the task of convincing you to buy a product. And the truth is not important in this task.

If you can find some point of difference between your product and another product then you enhance that and push it.



Now all INCANDESCENT bulbs are full spectrum They all produce all colours of light.

But a low temperature one produces a lot more red light.

The higher the temperature the more the peak colour moves up the spectrum.

Giving a greater percentage of blue ( and UV)



But there is nothing magically different between that bulb and another one.



And it doesn't matter to the marketers whether this is an advantage to you or not.



As long as they SELL the stuff.

Answer 3

Well, not sure about the temperature distribution, the filament temperature is relatively consistent over it's length (at least in the coils)...



Incandescent bulbs are often coated with a phosphor so the light from the filament is modified by the specific phosphor to change the wavelength distribution.

Answer 4

You mean nanometres.



From the link:

""Full-spectrum" is not a technical term when applied to an electrical light bulb but rather a marketing term implying that the product emulates natural light."

Answer 5

"Full spectrum" merely means white light output, rather than one like "warm white", which is yellowish light out.

In days gone by, fluorescent tubes and bulbs that output white light were often referred to as "daylight" output.

Now, we use colour temperatures as the guide to whiteness of light.