Importance of the Vacuum Tube

The vacuum tube, also called the electron tube, is a sealed enclosure used to control the flow of electrons between the metal electrodes in the air tight tube. These tubes were crucial in the development of the radio because of their ability to amplify weak currents and generate radio-frequency power for radio and radar. The cathode ray tube was the primary mechanism used for image display in older analog televisions. In a CRT, the negative terminal is referred to as a cathode and is the heated filament. The ray is the stream of electrons that are exerted by the heated cathode inside the vacuum in a glass tube. Due to the fact that electrons are negative and the anode is positive, it attracts them and focuses them into a tight beam. The image is able to be transferred to the flat screen because of this tight, accelerated beam of electrons flying through the vacuum towards the screen coated in illuminating phosphor that makes the screen glow a certain color; white, blue, green or red. This beam is steered away from the center by multiple sets of coils that create a magnetic field to move it vertically or horizontally. By adjusting the voltages within the coils, it is possible to position the beam anywhere on the screen. The final image is shown in the correct color due to the interlacing technique that paints 525 lines 30 times per second. Without the CRT, early television would not have been able to exist. The vacuum tube was also an integral part in the first generation computer because of its usefulness in logic circuitry. There were many design flaws with this type of computer however but the first generation computers still acted as a stepping stone to the high-tech systems we have today.