I put a wet towel on top of a heat lamp and it blew up... why did this happen?

Question

any scientific explanations? and yes, i know i'm dumb :P

Answer 1

becuz yer a dumbshit :) but thats ok. i am 2

Answer 2

what does the foil in  a cigarattes packet made of

Answer 3

The sudden cooling from the wet towel caused the thin glass used to make inferred bulb to suddenly contract and crack. The pop resulted from the pressure differential because during the manufacturing process the air is pumped out from inside the bulb to keep the filament from burning up. The bulb didn't explode it imploded.

Answer 4

A heat lamp makes a lot of . . . well, heat.  The lamp cools by convection, the air around the lamp gets hot and rises, bringing new cool air from beneath.  If you interfere with this air current the lamp gets hotter and hotter until it fails.

Also, if the lamp is hot and you cool part of it down it creates thermal stresses.  Part of the lamp shrinks from cooling while the rest of the lamp is still hot, and this can cause it to fracture.  Like putting hot glass in cold water.

Answer 5

why the **** would u put a wet towl on top of a heat lamp

Answer 6

chemicals on it

then heat triggered it

maybe rag wasnt clean

maybe chemical fibers in the rag

fibers caught on fire at a rapid rate

Answer 7

It's called thermal shock.  Hot lamp + cold towel = sudden localised cooling = stress fracture = bang!