Why is choke coil needed in the use of fluorescent tubes with ac mains? Why can we not use an ordinary resistor instead of the choke coil?

Explanation

For switching on any fluorescent tube, initially we require high voltage to be applied across the starter but later to run its operation we require to control the voltage across it. By connecting a choke coil with the tube, we can control this operating voltage without any wastage of power. Same job can be done by connecting a resistor but then in this case,, lot of electrical power gets dissipated in the form of heat which is a sheer wastage of electrical energy. So ordinary resistor can not be used in place of a choke coil.