vacuum tube

vacuum tube

noun

: a glass tube that was used in the past in computers, televisions, etc., to control the flow of electricity

Full Definition of VACUUM TUBE

:  an electron tube evacuated to a high degree of vacuum

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First Known Use of VACUUM TUBE

1859

vacuum tube

noun    (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of VACUUM TUBE

: an electronic device in which conduction by electrons takes place through a vacuum within a sealed glass or metal container and which has various uses based on the controlled flow of electrons

vacuum tube

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Electron tube consisting of a sealed glass or metal enclosure from which the air has been withdrawn. It was used in early electronic circuitry to control a flow of electrons. In the first half of the 20th century, vacuum tubes allowed the development of radio broadcasting, long-distance telephone service, television, and the first electronic digital computers, which were the largest vacuum-tube systems ever built. Transistors have replaced them in virtually all applications, but they are still occasionally used in display devices for television sets and computers (cathode-ray tubes), in microwave ovens, and as high-frequency transmitters on space satellites.