Strobe Lights

One of the most popular lighting choices for dance clubs today are strobe lights. These bright, fast flashing lights give an air of energy and excitement. There is even a form of dancing known as strobing, where dancers use the pulsing from strobe lights to create a wild effect when dancing. Although this form of lighting is largely known for concerts and clubs, the strobe light actually has some more important, practical uses as well. You may find it interesting to know that the first strobe light was created in 1931 by a scientist who wanted to study movements of objects. When the light flashed on and off very quickly, it seemed to capture each movement made by the object individually. While strobe lights are commonly seen today, they can be very dangerous for those with epilepsy. In fact, some cartoons have to be monitored by parents of children who can possibly go into seizures if they are exposed to the lights.

Strobe lights are also used for alarm systems, pilot navigation, and in photography. A typical strobe light flashes about five flashes per second. The odd thing about strobe lights is that although they flash at an amazingly fast pace, anything that is in their path appears to be going in slow motion. The result is rather baffling, and for some reason these lights are just as popular today in large clubs and in theater as they were many decades ago. Strobe lights are also used in science. Smaller versions of the lights known as stroboscopes are still used in labs today for various applications. For example, the stroboscope is very useful when learning about physics and other important sciences that analyze motion and its intricacies. Remember the next time you go out dancing and see strobe lights that they are more than just an entertaining flash of light, but an important tool in discovering our world as well.