ELECTRON TUBE Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

electron tube

noun

an electronic device that consists, typically, of a sealed glass bulb containing two or more electrodes: used to generate, amplify, and rectify electric oscillations and alternating currents.

electron tube

noun

Sometimes shortened to: tube.��Also called: vacuum tube.��an electrical device, such as a valve, in which a flow of electrons between electrodes takes place

electron tube

A sealed glass tube containing either a vacuum or a small amount of gas, in which electrons move from a negatively charged electrode, the cathode, to a positively charged one, the anode. The cathode is usually heated by an electric current to free the electrons. Other electrodes in the tube can vary the electric or magnetic fields in the tube to control the strength and direction of the moving electrons. Electron tubes are used to amplify signals, rectify AC currents, and produce x-rays, among other uses. They have been mostly replaced by transistors but are still used in television screens, computer monitors, and microwave technology.
Also called valve
See also vacuum tube

Discover More

51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of electron tube¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Prosecutors said Mr. Ghahreman conspired to use a Dubai-based front company to help supply the Iranians, including with gyrocompasses used for swift boat navigation and electron tubes used for military airborne radar.

From

Then, too, the older electron tubes had not been entirely replaced.

From

They stepped into a little cell, completely surrounded with mirrors and vast prisms and lenses and electron tubes.

From

electron transport electronvolt

Browse