tungsten
- noun
- /ˈtʌŋstən/
- Specialized
- Many high-quality tungsten alloys are used in aerospace components because of their durability and resistance to heat.
- tungsten-carbide
- tungsten tip
- tungsten metal
And I started out in tungsten very early.
- And I started out in tungsten very early.
- OK, so this is what a gold bar feels like because tungsten and gold have the same densities, OK.
- Even the tungsten atoms found this research breathtaking.
- And even though this room is, you know, not terribly lit, it's tungsten lights and it's, you know, it's not broad daylight, it's still pretty grainy in this footage.
Examples
-
A tripod is essential because of the slow shutter speeds used with tungsten lighting.
Academic text (1993) -
If you have a digital camera, set the temperature to tungsten (3200 K).
Academic text (2008) -
You can use either daylight or tungsten film for black light photography.
Academic text (1993) -
I played a little with lighting by shining a tungsten lamp onto it.
-
We had some tungsten bulbs, you know, our courts actually.
-
Daylight film produces warmer color tones, and tungsten film is on the cool side.
Academic text (1993) -
Data junctions are always encased in tungsten carbide.
-
Illumination was provided by two 300W tungsten halogen lamps in standard exterior floodlight fittings.
Academic text (2010) -
The tungsten filament in the light bulb produces a bright, white light when electricity passes through it.
-
Welding requires materials like tungsten due to its ability to withstand extremely high temperatures without melting.
Synonyms
A heavy grey metal people use for light-bulb filaments and strong tools
A heavy hard grey-white metal used in electric parts like light bulb filaments
Compounds
- Specialized
A very hard metal blend that resists heat and is used for cutting tools
- Specialized
A strong metal made with chromium and tungsten that resists heat and wear
- Specialized
A hard crystal mineral with iron and manganese mined for the metal tungsten
How Heat-Resistant
Surface Forms
Etymology
Tungsten comes from Swedish words tung ('heavy') and sten ('stone'), so it originally meant 'heavy stone'. That image helps you remember why tungsten is a very heavy metal used in things like light-bulb filaments, and its chemical letter W comes from another old name, wolfram.