Valves or tubes

Eoin Madsen

I feel this needs a poll.

For some reason.

Giblet

Tubes because I think of cars otherwise.

Rustar

'Tubes' is more specific, since 'valve' is just a device which stops, starts, and regulates flow (in this case electricity). Both tube transistors and solid state transistors qualify as 'valves', whereas 'tube' tells you it's one 'o them glass devices.

david

When I think tube I think Smarties, valve FTW

Eoin Madsen

Rustar wrote:

'Tubes' is more specific, since 'valve' is just a device which stops, starts, and regulates flow (in this case electricity). Both tube transistors and solid state transistors qualify as 'valves', whereas 'tube' tells you it's one 'o them glass devices.

Transistors are solidstate by definition. You're thinking of solidstate triode vs vacuum tube triode. Strictly speaking a valve is something which only allows flow through it in one direction, so really neither triode could be called a valve. The first vacuum tube was the first diode, so it was quite appropriately called a valve at the time. To be fair, silicon diodes were never referred to as valves, so there's not much room for confusion.

Rustar

You are correct, I meant triodes, not transistors.

However, Americans invented both the vacuum triode and the integrated circuit, so it should go by *our* nomenclature.

Paladin

Rustar wrote:

You are correct, I meant triodes, not transistors.

However, Americans invented both the vacuum triode and the integrated circuit, so it should go by *our* nomenclature.

*gasp*

The insult!!!

Valves were invented by John Ambrose Fleming, a brit, and thus their name shall remain forever 'Valves', and will not be dumbed down by the attempts of a nation that spawned 'For Dummies' books!

http://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=inventors&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.radio-electronics.com%2Finfo%2Fradio_history%2Fgtnames%2Ffleming.php

Rustar

Paladin wrote:

*gasp*
The insult!!!
Valves were invented by John Ambrose Fleming, a brit, and thus their name shall remain forever 'Valves', and will not be dumbed down by the attempts of a nation that spawned 'For Dummies' books!

I did not use the word 'valve', I used the word 'triode'.

Here's the actual history:
First vacuum device: Thomas Edison (American)
First vacuum diode: John Fleming (Brit, working for Thomas Edison)
First vacuum grid triode: Lee De Forest (American)

Integrated circuit:
Idea: Geoffrey Dummer (Brit)
First design/patent/invention: Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments (American)
Concurrent design/patent/invention: Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor (American)

So I am correct in my statement above.

Eoin Madsen

While we're spouting useless trivia, tetrodes and pentodes were invented by the Germans and the Dutch, respectively.

Ancient1

I wouldn't want to be on the other team during a pub quiz.

Bunch of freaks.

Rustar

Paladin wrote:

a nation that spawned 'For Dummies' books!

Though I would never be caught dead reading one myself, those books have helped millions of people understand subjects that are slightly beyond their grasp. Witness this very recent thread....and no one laughed at the poster.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054980553

Eoin Madsen wrote:

While we're spouting useless trivia

Fie on you, sir! There is no such thing as 'useless' trivia. Everything you know makes you more well-rounded and more useful somehow/somewhere/sometime.
Good work on the tetrodes and pentodes, btw.

....and back on topic, both words are used as shorthand....but folks very often say 'vacuum tube', while I've never heard anyone in real life say 'vacuum valve'. It's just too clunky.

Paladin

Rustar wrote:

....and back on topic, both words are used as shorthand....but folks very often say 'vacuum tube', while I've never heard anyone in real life say 'vacuum valve'. It's just too clunky.

Yeah, just 'valve' is fine...:)