SCIENCE 1948: Little Brain Cell: Vacuum Tubes
Little Brain Cell
Vacuum tubes are the brain cells of modern technology. Each year, as machines take on more complex jobs, more & more vacuum tubes are needed. But they are tricky to manufacture: they are usually both bulky and fragile.
Last week Bell Telephone Laboratories demonstrated a small, simple device that can do many of the jobs now done by vacuum tubes. Called a "Transistor," it is a slim metal cylinder about an inch long. Inside are two hair-thin wires whose points press, two-thousandths of an inch apart, on a pinhead of germanium.
Most Popular »
- Former Nazi Hitman, 88, Finally Stands Trial
- Obama's Fort Hood Speech: Lost in Translation
- 21-Year-Old Wins World Series of Poker
- Maclaren's Stroller Recall: A Stumbling Response Online
- After the Recession, an Energy Crisis Could Loom
- I Love Local Commercials
- Does Obama Have a Plan B for the Middle East?
- The Meaning of Manny Pacquiao
- Teen Obesity: Lack of Exercise May Not Be to Blame
- Joe Cada, Poker's New Champion
- Maclaren's Stroller Recall: A Stumbling Response Online
- After the Recession, an Energy Crisis Could Loom
- Former Nazi Hitman, 88, Finally Stands Trial
- Are You Getting Scammed by Facebook Games?
- Canada at War: THE SERVICES: Secrecy Rewarded
- Asia's Economic Forum: Seeking New Growth
- Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin
- Does Obama Have a Plan B for the Middle East?
- Why We Look at Some Web Ads and Not Others
- 21-Year-Old Wins World Series of Poker
Quotes of the Day »
BILL CLINTON, former U.S. president, in an attempt to rally Democrats to support health care reform even if the bill isn't perfect







RSS