Screens, screens, screens. They are all around us. They are inevitable. Providing an excellent way to display( and probably the only way), digital screens, powered by electricity and split into millions of pixels, are something that we see every day.  

In 2021, there were more than 208 thousand digital screens, and an average of 7.3 screens in a U.S household( according to ReportLinker.com )  and almost every person in the world claims to have one with them, screens are probably one of the most indispensable tools we have created. But how did they come about, how do they work, and are they a problem to our health and wellbeing? Let’s find out today!

History behind screens

Before we move ahead, knowing a bit of history about screens is quite helpful. It all started with the CRT (cathode-ray tube) which was first demonstrated in 1897 and made commercial in 1922. Soon after it came to the Nixie Tube which used glowing discharge to show figures. After which came the PDP or Plasma display, which is the skeleton figure of the LED figure and our modern-day LCD ( Liquid crystal display). We have come a long way, from heating tungsten coils in CRTs, which required nearly 100 watts of energy for 28-in screens, to using the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers in modern-day screens, which require barely need 60 W for 30-in screens.

How screens work 

Now let’s see how LCD(the most common type of screen these days) works. 

Every LCD screen has a base screen with a fluorescent white light on top of which there is a unique layer of a substance called “Liquid Crystalline”. On either side of the liquid crystalline is a polarizing layer, which is oppositely charged.

 Now since light is made up of all colors, the light shines through the polarizing layers which filter out which color to display on its pixels,  and since the frequency of these pixels is from the electrical signals coming from the ends of the screen, the screen lights up with different colors in different layers of the screen. 

Sounds pretty complicated? In simple terms, it’s just changing the color of white light on the pixels by changing the frequency of the pixels, which is done by the computer. Check out this link to get a diagram of this process.

Any bad effects?

Well as Wright Edelman said, “In every seed of good there is always a piece of bad. ” Spending excessive periods of time in front of a screen can cause eye strain, which often leads to blurred vision, slower pupil responses, headaches, and even reduced blinking and increases chances of you needing to squint to see a clearer image.

But we can avoid this easily though, by moving away from the screen in periodic intervals, like going to the kitchen to get some water or closing your eyes, and doing some stretches can really be helpful in the long run.

Conclusion

Overall, the digital screen has completely recreated our world through its use in daily life. From the prehistoric CRTs to the LCD’ of today, this invention has improved the viewing information and also seen it is vibrant colors. Also, the use of television in the classroom has improved the quality of education.

Hopefully, with further developments, we can move further from the touchscreens we have today, into minute devices that can produce screens within seconds. To infinity and beyond!

Resources

My Blog and me

Hey! It’s Steven! I am a high school student who has orbited the sun about 16 times. And this is my blog, where I talk about the internet, science, technology, and the world around us along with a few of my adventures exploring it. I hope you like reading my content, as much as I love creating it!

New post every Saturday! hopefully :)

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