The Vacuum Tube Diode
January 7, 2026 • EPISODE 292
What invention helped spark the age of electronics? In this episode of Science LIVE, Dr. Roger Billings and the Protégés break down the vacuum tube diode—one of the earliest electronic components that made controlling the flow of electrons possible. Learn how this simple device works, why it was so important in early radios and computers, and how it laid the groundwork for modern electronic technology. Join us for a clear, engaging look at a key milestone in the history of electronics.
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 »
First video of 2026! Happy New Year!
Thats so cool they can make a robot that small!
I was surprised when they said that there is a robot smaller than a grain of salt.
How long does it take to make that small of a robot?
They both get my vote. This was my first Science Live and I enjoyed it.
I loved this you guys are awesome👍.
Vacuum means a space of pure nothing, right? So how does this help the flow of electrons in electronics?
They both did a great job explaining. I also like learning about the invention of the telegraph.
I loved this episode! Learning about the Edison effect was very interesting! I also loved Caleb and David!!
I vote for David and Caleb!!!
Science live is a great way to make learning fun!!
Morse code is really incredible!
Happy new year!!!
Morse code is cool, I love creating things!
Both have my vote!
Awesome! David all the way!
I vote for both! Such a neat live this week
I can’t believe those little robots cost one cent to make and how tiny they are.
Samuel has some great art skills. Those paintings are amazing
David and Caleb both get my vote! amazing live !
It was intriguing learning about The Vacuum Tube Diode. I look forward on learning more about it!
Team Caleb 100%
Now I know why my mom has a lot of plants!
Science Live rocks!
I LOVE watching science lives!
I vote Caleb, but both would be best!
Teamwork is great
Thank you for teaching me again! Caleb and David are great!
Happy New Year!! I loved this science live!
Both have my vote! They work together very well and are hilarious
It was fun, I vote for the both of them
Hey R51!
I am a big fan of you, you are super silly, and fun you are a big light in my day. I hope you keep being in the video’s!
Keep your feet on the ground, and reach for the stars!
Happy 2026 everyone! I want to vote for both of them!
I vote for R51
It was cool learning about Morse code!
More plants= better air, intresting
I vote for both.
I think it would be awesome to be a protégé to someone. What a great opportunity that would be.
I find it cool that the telegraph allowed people to communicate with dots and dashes.
My mom grows plants inside our house, and outside in the summer.
Team work is great!!
I love seeing these science lives, always have new things to learn!
I vote for David because I agree on spending more time outside
I vote both
My mom tells me we’re going to get some plants for our house. She says that they can help with the air. I think it’s pretty cool. She said there is one you could put in the bathroom. Maybe like in the shower and it helps with relaxing and stuff. I hope we do it soon.
I didn’t known Morse code was invented buy a painter and I vote Caleb but both of them were good
With Acellus’ ever adapting and improving courses & visual effects, will we continue to see new courses, redoing older and outdated courses, and even new editing techniques being incorporated?
Plants inside have so many health benefits!! Cleaning the air inside your home. Great video.
I love science and happy 2026
I’m so excited for more science lives this year!
I am so happy that Acellus has let me join
Great! David and Caleb is who i vote!
How exactly would a hydrogen refueling station for cars work?
This episode is great. Thanks, Acellus!
I vote for both Caleb and David; they compliment each other very well.
I vote for DAVID!
Nice suns R51.
I voted for Caleb.
Plant more plants!!
The Edison effect is amazing! I’ve learned so much today.
My goodness this was an awesome episode! Told my mom about those little robots and she was in awe!
I didn’t know that the stain on a light bulb is only on the positive side.
learning about the inspiration behind worse code was really interesting but sad
It is super cool that plants can improve the air in your house.
David and Caleb for me.
Welcome to 2026 Science Live!
I vote David and Caleb because they are so awesome. David gets more outside and I love that about him and Caleb is very funny and humorous so they both get my vote and they’re both very funny lol
i love science live
😌 both David and Caleb get my vote because they are both awesome, but Caleb is much more humorous and David, but David is really funny and I like his hunting skills
I loved the story about Anastasia!!
My favorite part of the day!
My family loves plants, our house is a jungle!
David and Caleb get my vote. Teamwork is great
I love Dr.Roger Billings
R 51 is vary funny.
David and Caleb are the best ever!
I vote for David and Kaleb they both have a great way of putting things and making it make sense and they a sense of humor like billing Roger’s.
l look forward to science live every week! Thanks to everyone who helps out making it!
good way to start of the year.
VOTE BOTH!
I really enjoyed this one! I love how creative Science Live gets!
Congratulations to Anastasia. She is really smart to come up with that idea and deserves all the regonition. Also that tiny robot is cool. I never thought that a robot could be that small.
what motivated scientists to invent stuff in the first place?
Thank you for offering theHonors classes. I have taken advantage of them.,
Do the tiny holes in the plants ever “malfunction” and stop working causing the plants to die? I also vote Caleb because I love music and filming! They are both creative and Both are so fun!
i vote for David because i like the use of outdoors
I like David
I vote for caleb
They both did a great job! Very helpful in understanding.
David and Caleb! They are so fun to watch together and make a great team! I love the creative and science minds together!
I love these guys. They both get my vote!!
The history of how the groundwork for modern day technology was done was genuinely interesting to hear about!
Hard to pick! I want to pick them both, but … team Caleb!
I vote for David
Divid and Caleb are good for the votes cant wait to see both of them win
how can i push myself to be discplined
My dad is always telling my mom about plants in the house cleaning the air:) this was a good one!
So interesting that Samuel Morse was a painter! It was interesting to learn about him.
Caleb gets my vote!
I vote David although there both good.
I definitely vote for David!
I love. Break through moments with Tobias
In my opinion, Caleb was the best!
It was a fun science live learning about the vacuum tube diode!
I want to see David and Caleb on Science Live every week!
I like David but if Caleb and David could both be in that would be awesome.
How can a tiny memory chip hold so much information?
Learning about how plants breathe in carbondioxide and exhale oxygen was neat.
I liked learning that the electrons were attracted to the positive electrodes.
It was interesting to learn that there is a drone that will be able to detect a tornado forming and can save people.
i love David and Caleb! thnks for the information really amazing!
NGL lol there both kinda handsome not trying to be weird or anything that is a complement for both of them.
and i love davids eyes haha hes probably married
I vote for both!
Happy New Year!
David personally gets my vote!, loved this science live.
David and Caleb did great! Amazing teamwork too!
Caleb and David have my vote 🗳️!!
I vote for Caleb!
I would’ve never believed a robot that tiny would exist!
I vote for Caleb, both were really good though!
I vote for David and Caleb.
Vote for David
I vote for Caleb both were awesome though. Science live is amazing, I love how I learn something new every time.
I love the part when you guys show us how things work. I vote for both .
David was awesome🤩
I want to invent something to help me clean my room!
I love David and Caleb teamwork I will give them my vote.
it is great that both David and Caleb were voted in!
I vote for David – But both were very good
Wyatt here. I vote for both David and Caleb!
What material was the tornado drone made of? That is such a cool invention.
r51!!
David is so dope! I relate to him more, from marketing experience to even his hobbies. I LOVE HUNTING too! I do wit with my dad every time I get the chance, I see myself in David. That’s why I vote David.
Hello, watching from South Africa, what a fun video this was
Happy new year Guys!
Science Live is the BEST!!
I like both of them
The microscopic robot was pretty cool.
Science live is awesome! It’s fun and educational.
That was a great episode. I always wondered why part of the lightbulb turned black. I would definitely vote for both Caleb and David. They were informative, but explained everything in a way that was easy to understand.
First video of the year and loved that it included extra family!!
I vote for Caleb
I didn’t expect the Vacuum Tube Diode to be this interesting and complicated. Both of them did well explaining it though!
So excited to start up this year right with Acellus!
R-51 is so funny! This is a great episode.
Everything had to start with one small step.
I vote for David and Caleb they both are very cool and smart. I am very happy that we have them both.
R 51 is so funny.
I’d vote for both, they’re fun!
I can’t believe that a robot can be smaller than a grain of salt!
Science Live is the BEST!!
I’m trying to learn Morse code for fun
Thank you for this week can’t wait for next week.
This Science Live was an amazing one! I vote for both!
I would like to vote both, but if I can’t vote both, then I’d vote for David
One for all all for David
I vote caleb! this is cool
It’s good to see R-51 again 🙂
Both of them are impressive. I vote for both.
How small are the tools used to make the tiny swimming robot?
I didn’t realize Mr. Morse was an artist before inventing the telegraph machine and Morse code.
I voted for both David and Caleb, I hope they can both make it so we see them more!
This was one on my favorite videos yet!!! So fun!!
Both, David and Caleb, get my vote. Working as team is great! They explained it very clearly.
David and Caleb get my vote. Teamwork is great!
same they both are good great team work guys!!!
Happy New Year everyone! The new Acellus AP English Literature and Composition class sounds great. Also, I would vote for both Caleb and David. Thank you for making this Science Live this week.
So the more plants in your house, the fresher the air is. Right?
I don’t think so. Actually, most oxygen comes from algae in the ocean. Also, if you have too much oxygen, you could die from oxygen toxicity. Look it up.
Thank you, Roger Billings. You are the best.
How are scientists so motivated to create new things?
This was a really cool science live! I loved learning about the Edison effect!
♥️
they work well as a team but if I had to choose one I would vote for David (please dont read this Kaleb lol) I personally feel not many people get outdoors much anymore and the fact that he spends his time outside instead of being inside I feel makes a personal impact on me, so yeah imma vote for David.
Plus, couldn’t David choose Kaleb as his next mentee?
I vote for Caleb!! Both were good though.
I loved this science live!!! It gets more interesting every second!! I vote for both David and Caleb!!
Team david! both were awesome though
first video of 2026! amazing as normal!
Happy New Year to everyone. Great to have Science Live back.
I vote for both i like Calbe and David thay where both so good!!!!!:) 😉 🙂
Reagan here! Happy New Year!
That is the smallest robot I have ever known about! could it get smaller than that?
I didn’t know that plants could breath either
I vote for both Caleb and David.