bad bulb?

ok so, i was at my local hardware store today and came across a 300w cfl, it was around $18, it didnt say anything about needing a ballast or anything to work, but when i put it in my light it didnt work, so do you think i gotta bad bulb or do i need a ballast for a light this size? thanks

CFLs don't need external ballasts; they are self-ballasted. Sound like you may have a bad bulb. What light did you have in the socket before? Make sure that the fixture still works before you assume it's the light.

hope that helps

i made sure the light socket was still working, must be just a bad bulb, Thanks for the info, I really wasnt sure how that worked (the ballast)