Man Copies the Creator’s Design

How is it that paper-thin electric lightbulbs can withstand strong pressure when pushed or screwed into a light socket? According to the book How in the World?, the answer lies mainly in the bulb’s shape, which is based on the “eggshell principle.” Even though eggshells are very thin, the eggs are not crushed by the weight of the female bird when she sits on the nest to incubate them. This is because the shape of the egg provides structural strength that withstands the pressure. (Thicker shells might not allow the chick to peck its way out.) Copying the Creator’s design, lightbulbs have a rounded profile so that when gripped, the force is “transmitted in all directions away from the point of contact by the curve of the glass.” Thus, as with the egg, excessive stress is not placed on any one point, and the bulb does not break. Man has learned much from studying creation!