Identify this piece of equipment?

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter NatFex
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Electron Equipment
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around identifying a specific piece of equipment found among other apparatus, with participants speculating on its function and potential applications. The context includes educational demonstrations related to physics concepts.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests the equipment may be related to measuring the charge of an electron, likening it to a revised Millikan experiment.
  • Another participant compares it to a cathode ray tube, noting the variety of designs available but not finding an exact match.
  • A different participant imagines the equipment being used between Helmholtz coils to demonstrate the Lorentz force or between charged plates to illustrate the Coulomb force, particularly if the gas in the tube glows when ionized.
  • One participant identifies it as a "teltron tube," describing its use in demonstrations of the Lorentz and Coulomb forces, and provides links for further reference.
  • Another participant claims it is a demonstration thermionic diode used in education.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present multiple competing views regarding the identity and function of the equipment, with no consensus reached on a definitive identification.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the exact nature of the equipment and its applications, relying on speculative reasoning and comparisons to known devices.

NatFex
Messages
26
Reaction score
3
We were digging through some of the apparatus today and amongst a few dual beam tubes we found this, pictured below

2eqf0yf.jpg


Here's another one up close:
28cpkr7.jpg

It's very similar looking to a dual beam tube shape-wise but as you can see the internal structure is quite different. What is this? After looking at it for a while we suspect it might have to do with measuring the charge of an electron (a sort of revised Millikan experiment?) but we can't really tell

I've tried searching it up but as you can imagine I had a hard time describing it to a search engine without really knowing what it is, so that wasn't too useful.

Can anyone shed light on this? Thanks
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Similar to a cathode ray tube.
I can not find that exact design but it seems they come in many different shapes, sizes and configurations.
cold cathode ray tube of sort.
 
Last edited:
I can imagine it sitting between pairs of Helmholtz coils as a demonstration of the Lorentz force or between electrostatically charged plates to demonstrate the Coulomb force or some combination, particularly if the gas in the tube glows when ionised.
 
It is a demonstration thermionic diode used in education.
 

Similar threads

Need advice and hints for working with helium
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
2K
Undergrad Is it Safe to Use a Plasma Globe with Electronic Equipment?
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
6K
Undergrad Condenser lens retrofit for a lighting application
  • · Replies 24 ·
Replies
24
Views
3K
Undergrad Status of the X17 search with the MEG II apparatus
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
Graduate How can different types of plastic be cheaply and easily identified?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
Undergrad The electron as a smeared charge density
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
3K
Undergrad Improvised Optics Lab Equipment
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
8K
Undergrad Updates on the experiments X17
  • · Replies 50 ·
2
Replies
50
Views
12K
Misc. Lifting vehicles with 4 points of contact
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
April Fool's Physics Papers 2026
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
395