The Edison Effect
December 17, 2025 • EPISODE 291
What if Thomas Edison’s greatest discovery wasn’t the light bulb? In this episode of Science LIVE, Dr. Roger Billings explores the Edison Effect and how Edison’s experiments paved the way for electron tubes and modern electronics. Discover why this overlooked breakthrough mattered then—and why it still shapes technology today.
About DrB
Dr. Roger Billings is a visionary innovator whose work has touched the lives of millions of students and transformed the landscape of education. Widely known as “DrB” to the countless kids who benefit from his groundbreaking Acellus learning system, Dr. Billings has dedicated his life to advancing education through technology.
As part of DrB’s lifelong commitment to supporting education, Science LIVE was launched as a way to “give back” by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.
Read more about DrB »
About the Roger Billings Scholarship Program »
Science live is the best !
Thank you!
Oh, R-51 seems to be alive, that is good to know he’s okay. That was a good lesson to not play with electricity.
so funny
hello
I love r-51
How many years did it take Eddison to create the vacuum?
This is so much better than normal school
Hi i’m here
wow thats amazing
i enjoyed
Moral of the story is that if there’s something you can’t understand, there’s something remarkable behind it; something worth studying.
Approximately how long would it take to change all those vacuum tubes?
r-51, are you okay?
hahaha this episode was really fun. The more these go, the better they get. Thank you so much and Merry Christmas
I like science live
Hi
happy Christmas, and new year. my birthday is January 1st (new year’s)
awesome
Does patenting ideas make it harder for new inventioneers to build off of old ideas to come up with new inventions?
Hello from NC!!!!!!
have you recovered R51? Ive been worried about you
I wasn’t logged in for my first comment. I’m commenting again. This is my first time watching science live and just started with Acellus. Loving it so far!
What is a circut?
I cannot wait for Christmas
Hiii from Virginia!! I love science live !
This is the best LIVE ever, thank you two so much!
Hi, I’m watching with my mom and dad.
Thanks for teaching us about the Edison Effect!
I love watching Science Live and learning about so many cool things!!!
Hi from Texas! I love science lives so much, I feel like I learn so much. I love the episodes that are about the earth and space most
Happy Holidays from Virginia Beach!
Thomas Edison’s knowledge of the light bulb was clever. It clearly took a lot of people and their brilliant brains to make it happen. My mom always thought Mr. Edison invented the light bulb.
Don’t play with electricity! 🔌
Science live is the best
During “Project Purple” How do AI algorithms determine the intended key press rather than the exact point of contact on the screen?
I learned that people made a phone that fingers could type with out a stilis 🧑💻 merry Christmas 🎁
They make it So easy to learn
Omg I love pajet’s jacket.🩷
so entertaining
Wow
Truly amazing people!
Hello from Ms love to see another one
hi from nh
this live is great
I love science live so so much guys like im so happy right now
Hello from Loganville Ga
Happy holidays from Florida!
Hello from Maryland! This is so fascinating!
Hi from Maryland! Another great week of Science Live!
I want to make things with electricity like Thomas Edison when I get older!
I never knew that Thomas Edison didn’t didn’t create the first light bulb
hello from texas!
“I am very glad light bulbs were invented.”
Typed by mom for Oliver
Today has been a very fascinating science live! Thank you for taking the time to teach us more about science!
Merry Xmas and Happy New Year Roger Billings your scholarship is a gift that keeps on giving.
How old is the light bulb?
Greetings from Texas
Hey from GA
I’d like to learn more about the origins of computers and the first working digital computer with a screen
Hello from Indiana!
I love science live
What are some of the other inventions Eddison came up with?
Happy Holidaysss to everyone reading this!!!
the touchscreen keyboard on the iphone was genius!!
hello from DE!!!
It’s crazy to think about how much technology has become so advanced in such a short time.
how fast can a particle go
so cool
-ASL 2 looks like a very cool course!👍🏼🫶🏼🤟🏼
– The story of the I-PAD! WOW!!
-Happy Holidays Everyone🎄❄️🎁
– I have a great invention Mr. Billings!
Hi I’m mason from texas. What is an apex inventor?
Hello from Arizona
Cool live!
Good to know
Hi from ohio!
Merry Christms from AZ! That was a cool little video you showed.
Khadijah and me love science live!!!! 🙂
I love being able to see how things we use every day started and what they went through to become the technology that we use today.
I learned a bunch of new things on the ScienceLive, hopefully you guys are having an amazing day! 😀
Hi everyone! Amazing Science Live today!
hello from Ohio
It was fun learning about the first iphone and about the lightbulb! I hope the entire Acellus team has a great christmas!
Hi from South Carolina!!!!
Hola Como Estas!!! From North Dakota!!!
Love from Atlanta, Georgia
This is why I love Acellus! Not only interesting but also teaching me things I never knew! I thought Thomas Edison created the light bulb!!
Hello, love science! happy holidays.
I never knew learning about electricity is so interesting! I can’t wait to take Acellus’s STEM 3 course in the next school year.
Wishing you all happy holidays!
I love r-51 and…
dr.roger billings.
Hello from Florida! I hope everyone has a great week.
Hi from Louisiana
What would happen if the vacuum tube overheated.
Hello from Michigan. Happy Holidays!!
wow i am inspired by that.
Thank you so much for making ASL 2!!! My brother and I are so thankful and so excited!
Ya’ll just made my week by reading my comment out loud and possibly made my year
This week’s program was very interesting. Probably my favorite so far!
Congrats Abigail!!! 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 I have NEVER had a comment read out loud And i have been watching Science Live since i started Jan 14 2025 (Which the science Live Jan 15 2025!!) So you are SOOOOOOOO lucky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
I love science Live
I love Science Live!
hi from nj
hello from il
It’s cool to hear the way things have advanced over time.
Hello from CT!!
Hi from Louisiana
This is such good info!!
hello from ny
i loved this weeks live
helooooo
Very interesting!!
Happy Holidays from New York!!
Hii from DR, I lovee science live!!
cell phones are so cool now i could only wonder how they worked back then?
Electricity flows from negative to positive, Wow!
hi from new york
How is everyone?
I wonder what R51 is gonna do
Hello from Massachusetts, I’m Shayla! I love your Science Live, and my favorite parts are Nasa launching their new space invention and Roger and Pajet being so unserious and playful on-stage. I love you guys!
These lives teach me so much things! Truly awsome!
Pay attention to Roger Billings
Science Live is interesting.
love these lives cant wait for the next one
Pay attention Ms. Pajet 🤣
phones used to look like calculaters but that is so cool!
loving this, greetings from peru
Hello, from South Carolina!!!
I love R51
Great Episode
Greetings from Naples!!
i’m sending a letter to R51 soon so be on the lookout
Merry Christmas !! I love science live!!!
love it so so so so so so so so much !!!!!!!
How many years did it take Eddison to create the vacuum?
It’s amazing how one piece makes so much of a difference!! That’s awesome
do you have a billings effect?
I love hearing about how things were invented
Hii. Have a good day/night!
cool video
Merry christmas
Hello👋 from Austin MN.
Hello from NY! Science live is the best-electricity is so interesting to learn about.
It’s cool how the vacuum works!
hi I’m ellery
What year was the first lightbulb made?
Hi from Tennessee.
Hello From Nevada
Comment I love all that Roger Billing teaches us in Acellus live.
Comment watching from Ohio
Also, Lady Pajet, please tell Dr. Billing that I really like his hairstyle 🤭 and his radio voice
Hello everyone
Greetings from Nevada!
Watching from CT!
Hello from Chicago!
Amazing information, we are so lucky! Thank you
I love science live!!!!
Hello, from Maine.
Hello from Georgia
Hi from Illinois
Hi from Illinois. i love watching science live its so interesting
What was the name of his vacuum?
how did Edison make the vacuum
I enjoy Science Live every day and week 💚 💚💚
What is Dr. Billings favorite non-hydrogen invention that hes helped on or invented?
Hi! Allias from windy Montana! I think this is going to be a very fun science live!
Hi from texas!
Hi from illinois! Merry Christmas!
Why did he name it the Edison Effect?
hey from texas.
COOL!!!!!!😎
I am obsessed with Science Live!
I’m always watching science live it helps me so much I am going to defiantly pass next year thank you so much!!!
Great show tonight!!!!
i love how ms pajet is in the live.
Everybody who learns on Accelus is technically the Great-Grand Mentee of Thomas Edison, the Grand Mentee of Bill Leer, and the Mentee of Dr. Billings. Pretty cool to think about
I look forward to these! Love from Mississippi!
Hi I have been here for two years, nearly 3! I love Science L!ve! Please Pajet Monet, could you ask R for me,
Did, or have, you ever thought that you would be lucky enough to have had been mentored by Bill Lear, all the way from Thomas Edison?!
Coralynn from Tennessee!
Do diodes work the same way?
Hello from hawaii, I really like how eveverthing in this video was explained very helpful.
Cool live, i like it!
I think it is so fascinating that Dr. Roger Billings, his mentor was mentored by the Thomas Edison!!