Vacuum Tube Amplifier
January 14, 2026 • EPISODE 293
📌 Science Fair Idea – R-51 Radio
What’s a vacuum tube amplifier? Come explore with Dr. Roger Billings on Science LIVE! Learn about the technology that made it possible to boost electrical signals and amplify sound. Discover how vacuum tubes control electron flow, why they powered early radios, audio systems, and computers, and how they shaped modern electronics. And get ready for something super exciting: carbon nanotubes – super-strong, lightweight materials that might one day help build a space elevator, opening new ways to reach space!
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 »
thanks for teaching another great lesson
I love science!!!
What is Cathode and Anode? Should we have a backup? Can a computer speak any language? Is a flash drive part of the brain? How does a vacuum tube amplifier work?
very interesting!!
R51 is so funny
I love the Video can`t wait for the next one
This was very informational episode I will invent a car filter to decrease the pollution in our atmosphere.
R-51 is so cool! Science live is awesome!
Love R51 he’s one of my favorite,
Science live is super fun and cool to learn about!
Loved the live today. Hello from Texas!
Hi from North Idaho! I thought it was cool that Mr. Billings made a hydrogen engine! I personally love cars, and for my science project I am making an RC car out of Lego that Ive been working on.
I love LIVE from Washington!
I love science live forever!
I didn’t know the story behind the flash drive before, I think its really interesting how someone had a problem with their computer and made something helpful and was able to get ideas from preexisting technology.
I think honesty is something that will get you far in life.
Great live! I love to learn the stuff Science Live teaches.
Listen carefully, put effort in to yourself!
This was a very interesting quality of information I obtained within the video, by atmos reppelling and attracting and trying to make a cleaner environmental car, to help dissolve pollulation within the atmosphere loved this science live!
In todays science live Dr John talked about space. Tobias talked about how the first usb cord was made .Dr roger billings said that we got a science fair this spring .
Science fairs are fun , Dr roger billings said he wants us all to the science fair
Dr roger billings is going to give and award to one of us at the science fair if we go .
I Love science live Dr Roger Billings
I also love r.51 🙂
Science lives are the best!!”
Hello from New York!!!
I like this Science Live because it is fun.
Good stuff! 🙂
This was a great science live, thank you !
We have almost the exact same name! That’s cool!
How does a amplaphier make things louder?
Really fun episode. Caleb and David are really fun to watch.
I like to watch SCIENCE LIVE and Area-51.
Thanks for all of the inventions done by numerous people including R51!
Science is awesome
I loved the R-51
The flash drive has definitely turned out to be a pretty useful invention.
Are you going to do something special for episode 300?
I love science
R51 good luck making your invention work.
Science is funny & helps me to discover!
yes i will earn gold year after year i do accelus, i am saving up for the acceslus ac-d2 dancing programing robot
Thanks for the information you give us every Wednesday!
Love acellus
A science fair cool i love science and a radio wave how you said you can talk to people from all over the world it is just like a cellphone tower and a vacuum tube looks just like a light force and that image we saw of what the in side of a vacuum tube looks like protons and netrons and i will love how to use one of thoose paper cups.
So cool will be trying the cup method
Thank you for another great science live! One millionth of a milimeter is super small. I’m happy to hear that acellus gold store is doing well
Knowledge in the long run is the best investment.
Best episode yet! R-51 rocks!
see you next week thanks you
Is there a hydrogen boat
I love art and i can craft some stuff and i think i can make something one day!
I always like what you do with R51.
cool experiment!😎💡
Hello from illinois glad the lives are back!!
Thank you so much loved the lesson!
Joshua, I like how students encourage other students to do better in their classes.
Vacuum tubes amplify electric and make it more powerful.
Salutations from North Dakota! I never knew about how complicated science could be!
Hi from Cape Cod! I really thought today’s lesson was really cool, especially the history behind the USB creation!
i really loved r51 today.
Fantastic video thanks Roger
It’s seems to me you have a good social emotional environment in the Acellus! You are more friends, than colleagues! How does it work?
I love Science live!!!!
Thank you for all the knowledge.
Thank you Dr. Billings
Does R51 have to do chores around Area 51?
The more you know, right?
I think the science fair sounds interesting. I never knew what made voices and sounds be loud enough to cover a large area. I think it’s cool how electrons bounce back in forth from one plate to anoter creating sound.
love the video❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I enjoyed learning about what to use and what not to use in a hydrogen powered car. I also enjoyed learning about the vacuum tubes. The last thing i enjoyed learning about was how we can power things that need lots of energy with little energy by channeling the energy through certain circuits.
Watching from Nevada!!
I learned so much and was entertained the entire time.
Can you make transistor with superconductors
I loved it tonight see you next week
I don’t know where to submit questions at, but here is two facts i remember from the video. Carbon-nano tubes are 100 times stronger than steel and Dov Moron created the USB flash drive.
science live is so fun to watch from maryland
I’ve never done a science fair project before, I think that would be really interesting. I couldn’t help laughing when r-51 did the cup communication, it was funny yet entertaining. Can’t wait for the next Science Live!!
I learned that we use amplifiers to make us louder.
This is my first day here. I am new to Acellus. I am not sure if my comment showed up but I am here.
Science live has motivated my interest for science and currently I have full finished my science course for this year. Thank you Roger Billings!
Hello from California, R-15 is sure a funny one!
In science I also learned that vacuum tubes used to be in computers
Thank you so much for this opportunity to learn on science live. I really enjoyed this week’s episode.
SO COOL
Hello everybody one thing I really liked is when they were talking about the flash drive and how it saves information.
Hi from New Orleans!
heller from Georgia, I love science!
I’m so grateful for the opportunity that Acellus and science live gives me.
Very cool!!
Amazing show!
How would it change your life if you hadn’t invented the hydrogen car?
R 51 is the best!
I learned that carbon nano tubes could theoretically be used to make a space elevator.
Break through moments in science is my favorite part of Science Live
i liked learning carbo nano tubes
Today’s science live was great! I enjoyed learning about the vacuum tube.
How long will it take for me to make the cup communicators
i really enjoyed the cup phone experiment im very intrested in how the rope types can change how the waves are transmitted to the other cups
Butterflies are awesome! My mom and I ordered a chrysilis and got to watch the whole metamorphesis!!!
10/10 live, like always! Loved it!
Hello Science Live! An elevator to space would be amazing and way more efficient than rockets, which require a lot of fuel, preparation, money, and still run the risk of malfunctioning. However, an elevator that can still carry a massive weight would be much more cheaper, faster, and better for the environment! Hope that one day it becomes a world-changing invention, and revolutionizes aerodynamics! Thank you Acellus and have a fantastic day!
I would like to see and hear more about the computer and computer programs that Dr Billings created
Hello from Ohio! Great Science Live!! Thanks everyone.
The Pajet clones had me dying, my brain went “Oh no! they multiplied!” Also David explaining the amp and how they’re used for guitars, WHILE USING ONE THAT WASN’T HOOKED UP ON AN AMP? Comedy gold lol. As always, this was an amazing episode and I love hearing Dr. Billings’ stories and getting a glimpse into his amazing life and mind. I cannot wait for next time, have an awesome rest of your week yall! <3
Science live is one of the reasons i chose Acellus! I love tuning in and hearing stories about so many things.
Hi Nick here from Virginia.
Using plastic cups and a string to communicate is still a fun game I play with cousins.
Great Stream! My grandfather still has vacuum tubes in his old TV. He got it in 1946, and they still work.
Look forward to next week.
Hello From New Mexico
R51 is the best.
Thank you for a awesome Science Live again!
my first time watching and i cant wait until next time
R-51 is a comedian.😂
It’s very interesting that a string connected to two cups can actually transmit sound. I think it is the vibration of our voice that vibrates the string and amplifies the sound on the other side.
I liked all the cool facts about the USB.
looking forward to next week. thank you Roger Billings you have taught me so much!!
Very interesting! I always love the tobias portions of the science lives!
Have a good week!!😁
R51 is the best R51 needs to be longer?
I love science!
Hello from Mississippi
I hope R51 doesn’t blow up Area 51.
verry interesting n best part of my wensdays
hi Im from Ohio
Liked the Area 51 segment and all the little Paget Monet cutouts he had 🤣
Here from Hawaii
R51 should try making the sting longer. That “will” work.
I like Acellus, it’s really helpful if you don’t want to do actual in person school, and science is really cool!
I found how the flash drive came to be really interesting!!
Loved it
science is super fun and cool to learn about!
What can I make for the science fair???
I loved this!
R 51 is funny. Glad to be back.
Loved it
Hello from Montana loved the part with the cup phones!
Great live today! And its so cool seeing all the student accomplishments.
Science live is always so interesting!!
When will the science fair be?
That was cool
R-51 is very funny
I really enjoyed today’s science live, and I really enjoying the Protégés Caleb and David’s segment.
Hello everyone I’m glad science live is back.
Love r51
Science is cool!
Loved the Live tonight 🙂
Hello from Florida
Glad they added R51 & Dave and Caleb!😂
Amazing
Hello this is Zoey from NC! I really enjoyed when we talked about Dov Moran and how he made the USB flash drive.
COOL
I can’t wait to see some science fair projects.
Comment I loveeeeeeeeee live so much and happy new year
I enjoyed this episode a lot
Honesty is the best policy! Also, R-51 is quite the wacky sort!
see you next week
what inspired the amplifier
I’m signed in from Michigan.
It is very cool how music is made.
Tuning in from california
Where can I find more information on the science fair? (from Va)
Loved this science live!
I really enjoyed learning about radio waves and the creation of the flash drive!
Here from Texas!
Thank you for taking us back and leading us through your science fair journey. Very interesting.
VERY NICE AND HELPFUL
i enjoyed it
Hi everyone from New Jersey.
had a great time
Here from Washington.
It is so fascinating to hear about every thing ya’ll teach on science live.
Science is cool!!
*I loved this!
I was interested about how a small amount of energy can power a big thing.
This live was so interesting! Can’t wait for the next one!
Do we still use vaccum tubes
hello
r-51 with the cardboard cutout is like a comedy show!
hello from Georgia
I am excited for the science fair
that’s a cool radio r51
I think USBC is a wonderful invention and even though some people use it daily I think not a lot of people know about how it was made
very interesting
Thank y’all
Haha! I love r-51!
Since R51 is a direct clone, is he as smart ad Dr. Billings?
he did it again