General Interest

Classic Japanese Motorcycles

What is an LED

An LED is basically a type of diode that emits a type of light when electricity flows through it, also diodes only allow electricity to flow in one direction and not the other.

In the simplest terms, an LED is made with two different kinds of semiconductor material, one type that has too many free electrons, and another that doesn't have enough. When an electron from one material flows across the thin barrier between the cathode & anode it gets into tiny spaces in the other a photon or particle of light is produced.
The color of light depends on a number of factors, including the type of material the LED is made with and the amount of energy required to cross the gap between the electrode and anode. A smaller bandgap that fairly weak electrons can cross gives you infrared or red light, while a large bandgap that needs really strong electrons gives you light that has a blue or violet color to it.

Anode is the smaller metal part on the left while the Cathode is on the right

Red LED with an electrical current flowing through it.

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