science

Lampette

Lampette is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lampette rather than just read about it. In short: The Lampette was a brand of small electric high-intensity telescoping desk lamps that was designed and distributed by Koch Creations but manufactured by various subcontractors from the early 1960s to the late 1980s. History According to an article published in the June 1965 issue of the Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, smaller high-intensity lamps for personal use only came to the market in 1963, after a "prof…

Key takeaways

Lampette belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lampette to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lampette from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Lampette was a brand of small electric high-intensity telescoping desk lamps that was designed and distributed by Koch Creations but manufactured by various subcontractors from the early 1960s to the late 1980s.

History According to an article published in the June 1965 issue of the Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, smaller high-intensity lamps for personal use only came to the market in 1963, after a "professional work light", invented in 1959 by Jay Monroe and then manufactured by Monroe's Tensor Corporation in 1960. The work light was marketed as the "Tensor lamp", and was initially sold to jewelers, watchmakers, and other similar craftsmen. Due to Monroe's and Tensor's success in selling their original type of small high-intensity lamps, other companies began to design and sell similar types of lamps to the general public by 1963. One of the primary competitors of the "Tensor Lamp" throughout the 60s was the Koch Creations "Lampette", which had a similar design and function. They were compared often by consumers, as seen in Kiplinger's Personal Finance, which discusses the measure of brightness relative to the price of high intensity lamps. It states that a $19.95 Lampette model had a less impressive range of brightness in its extended and folded positions, and gave generally less light (than the compared Tensor Model 5975, priced at a range of $17.50 to $22.95). In 1964, The New York Times considered the Lampette as "the best designed version sold today" when comparing all small desk lamps available at that time, including those sold by Tensor, Mobilette, Stiffel, and Lightolier. The miniature 12-volt DC automotive-type #93 lightbulb utilized by Tensor, Lampette, and other designers of similar products, are smaller than the standard household 110/220-volt AC incandescent light bulb but produced more lumens in a smaller area, so that the lamp bulbs burn out at an increased rate. While standard bulbs last around 1,000 hours, the miniature bulbs used in these lamps last on average between 250 and 600 hours. There were issues with the shades getting hot to the touch, alongside electrical hazards, etc. This was why safety became a talking point regarding high-intensity lamps. The Lampette's specifications varied from designer, and many differed visually and internally. Many different renditions and models of the Lampette were sold over the years, and this is seen in the wide variety of Lampette models that can be found for sale today, though most have a generally similar appearance. A model E6 Lampette Reading Lamp, made 1963, is displayed at the Museum of Modern Art, along with specifications. The model is made of plastic and metal, with dimensions of 16 in × 3.25 in (40.6 cm × 8.3 cm) when extended, and 6 in × 3.25 in (15.2 cm × 8.3 cm) when folded. Lampette models utilized built-in transformers which convert standard household 110/220-volt AC obtained through wall plugs to 12-volt DC to light the bulb.

See also Balanced-arm lamp Banker's lamp Tensor lamp Tiffany lamp Tizio Tolomeo desk lamp

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lampette

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lampette claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lampette before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lampette ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lampette

In research: Lampette appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lampette in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lampette is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Light fixtures, Lighting, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lampette outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lampette in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lampette means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lampette out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lampette in simple terms?

Why does Lampette matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lampette?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lampette.