For the experiment , it is not necessary to use a working filament lamp, that is, it may be burned out. The only essential thing is that the bulb is not small – the classic 60 W is enough – and that its glass is intact so that the inert gas that is housed inside is still there.
The test consists of putting it in the microwave and turning it on. After a few seconds, the bulb begins to emit light of different colors and ends up exploding.
The explanation: the colored lights are due to the ionization of the gas inside the bulb, a mixture of argon, neon and nitrogen , which is introduced so that the filament does not come into contact with the oxygen in the air. And it is the heating to which the bulb is subjected that makes it explode.
