What is a ballast on a ship?
Ballast is extra weight added to a ship when it unloads its cargo – without it, the ship would pop out of the water like a cork and could become unstable. Prior to the 1880s, ships used solid ballast materials such as rocks and sand, which people had to shovel into and out of cargo holds.
Why is a ballast needed?
Quite simply, the ballast keeps the fluorescent lamp from burning out. Without a ballast, the fluorescent lamp would literally just keep increasing the electric current flowing through it until it self-destructed. … Another job of the ballast is to provide the energy — or voltage — the lamp needs to get going.
What does taking on ballast mean?
Ballasting or de-ballasting is a process by which sea water is taken in and out of the ship when the ship is at the port or at the sea. … Ballast or ballast water is sea water carried by a vessel in its ballast tanks to ensure its trim, stability and structural integrity.
What is ballast in physics?
(Entry 1 of 2) 1 : a heavy substance (such as rocks or water) placed in such a way as to improve stability and control (as of the draft of a ship or the buoyancy of a balloon or submarine) tossed several tons of ballast overboard.
Do all boats have a ballast?
While there are both live ballasts and high-density ballasts, the one we’ll focus on for this article is the water ballast. Sailboats and other smaller vessels tend to come outfitted with this ballast type. A water ballast gets installed in such a way that its vertical center of gravity makes the boat more stable.
Why do cruise ships need ballast?
Ballast is used in ships to provide moment to resist the lateral forces on the hull. … Too much heel may result in the vessel capsizing. If a sailing vessel needs to voyage without cargo, then ballast of little or no value will be loaded to keep the vessel upright.
What is the difference between ballast and driver?
Fluorescent ballasts provide an initial spike of high voltage, generating an arc that travels from cathode to anode within the discharge tube. … LED drivers convert high voltage, ac current into the low voltage, direct current that LEDs are designed to run on.
Do LED headlight bulbs need a ballast?
No LED bulbs require a ballast, although some are engineered to work with an existing ballast. You will find ballast-compatible or « plug-and-play » LEDs that are designed to replace linear fluorescents, compact fluorescents, or HIDs.
What is a ballast person?
to give steadiness to; keep steady: parental responsibilities that ballast a person.
What is emotional ballast?
ballastnoun. an attribute that tends to give stability in character and morals; something that steadies the mind or feelings.
What is a ballast and what does it do?
- What is a ballast? In a fluorescent lighting system, the ballast regulates the current to the lamps and provides sufficient voltage to start the lamps. Without a ballast to limit its current, a fluorescent lamp connected directly to a high voltage power source would rapidly and uncontrollably increase its current draw.
What is ballast factor and how is it calculated?
- Ballast factor is calculated by dividing the lumen output of a lamp-ballast combination by the lumen output of the same lamp(s) on a reference ballast. A ballast factor of <1 means that your fluorescent system will produce less light (lumens) than the reference ballast and a factor of >1 means it will produce more light.
What is the meaning of the root word ballast?
- bal·last | \\ ˈba-ləst \\. (Entry 1 of 2) 1 : a heavy substance (such as rocks or water) placed in such a way as to improve stability and control (as of the draft of a ship or the buoyancy of a balloon or submarine) tossed several tons of ballast overboard.
What is the difference between a ballast and a dimmer?
- All fluorescent and HID light sources require a ballast for proper operation. Dimming ballasts are special ballasts which, when used together with a dimmer, will vary the light output of a lamp. There are many different types of ballasts.
