Geissler tube

A late 19th-century Geissler tube used for teaching purposes
Credit: The Cathode Ray Tube site

A forerunner of the modern electron tube, invented in 1857 by Heinrich Geissler (1814–1879). It is a glass tube containing a gas at low pressure which glows with a characteristic color when a high voltage is applied to the metal electrodes at the ends of the tube. Modified forms of the Geissler tube are used as spectroscopic light sources and in neon or argon signs.

Related categories

• ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM
• ELECTRONICS AND SEMICONDUCTORS

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Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living
Encyclopedia of History

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