Vacuum tube
part · 1904 · Electric age
A device that controls a flow of electrons in a vacuum; the basis of the first computers.
Principles and materials it uses
- Vacuum — uses. Electrons fly in an evacuated bulb.
- Glass — is made of. The bulb is glass.
- Tungsten — is made of. The cathode is a tungsten filament.
Where it is used
- ENIAC — is part of. ENIAC contained about 18,000 vacuum tubes.
- Flip-flop — is part of. The first flip-flop used vacuum tubes.
- Colossus — is part of. About 2,500 vacuum tubes.
- MESM — is part of. About 6,000 vacuum tubes.
- UNIVAC I — is part of. Vacuum tubes.
- X-ray machine — is part of. An X-ray tube.
- Car radio — is part of. The first car radios used vacuum tubes.
- Operational amplifier — is part of. The first op-amps used vacuum tubes.
History: what it evolved from and what it influenced
- Transistor — evolved into. The transistor replaced the vacuum tube as an amplifier and switch.
- Diode — evolved into. The first diode was a vacuum tube (Fleming); later diodes became semiconductor devices.
What it is a kind of
- Triode — includes. A vacuum tube.
- Cathode-ray tube — includes. An electron vacuum device.
- Iconoscope — includes. An electron tube.
- Magnetron — includes. An electron vacuum device.