How does the sthrobo light work?

Question

When was it invented? Which was it primary use?

Answer 1

A strobe light stores up energy in an electrical component called a "capacitor", and then suddenly dumps it all into a lamp bulb filled with xenon gas. The normally insulating gas in the bulb suddenly conducts electricity. This produces a sudden, brief, and intense flash of light.

A strobe light is a fast-flashing lamp which is used for "freezing" the movements of certain objects. These can be propagating water waves or a revolving fan or a horse galloping on a treadmill. When the flashing frequency (i.e., how many times a second the lamp flashes) is the same as that of the moving object (e.g., the same as the frequency of the water wave) the object will appear to be "frozen" (in this case, the water wave seems "suspended in air"). Once we've matched the frequencies by seeing when the object "freezes", we can figure out the objects frequency as being the same as the frequency of the flashing strobe. So a strobe basically makes things seem to be moving in slow motion and we can take advantage of this to slow down and observe those things that are usually moving too quickly for us to study.

Dr. Harold Edgerton is recognized internationally as the scientist who developed the stroboscope and electronic flash for high-speed photographic images. He is also known for his extraordinary career as a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where students were inspired by his ability to turn science into a theatre of excitement.