karn (04/07/83)
The bright yellowish streetlamps use sodium vapor, not magnesium. Two possible explanations for the "lamp turning off" phenomenon: 1. You're driving at dawn. 2. Chance. You see lots of lamps while driving in an average city, but only remember those that inexplicably turn off for some reason (random failure, power hits, etc.) Please, PLEASE, don't start the paranormal explanation crap again!! Phil
davidson (04/11/83)
I believe that the reason we often see streetlamps going off, especially on our way home from work, is because of our profession. Normal people see streetlamps going on. :-) -Greg
death (04/14/83)
if a streetlamp in the forest goes off, and no one is around to see it, does it fall? -=- death -=- from zen and the art of computer programming
hal (04/23/83)
I was under the impression that most streetlamps were controlled by photocells that automatically turn the light on when it gets dark out (including at sunset, during a bad storm, during eclipses, etc.) Maybe the reflection from approaching headlights is able to convince a not-properly-adjusted streetlamp that the sun is coming up.
mat (04/23/83)
One more little thing on the street lamp question. You can easily see a lamp going out; it just goes out. It is harder to see one come on. The mercury lamps take some tens of seconds or minutes, and are very gradual. If you are driving by, it will just seem like a dim or defective lamp. If the lamps are indeed cycling in some kind of failure, you will see them go out; it will be MUCH harder to say for sure that one is coming on. Mark Terribile