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 »
I wonder if the new metal material shape will be used in planes because of it being so light and strong
What is the production cost of the new style of composite armor?
Wow carbon nano tubes are so interesting!!!
I love science live, can’t wait for next week
How long would it be until scientist make it so carbon tubes can be used in computers?
I loved the episode
This live was great, as always I really enjoyed the technology spotlight!
I searched up where the floppy disk was used in a computer. Technology has come a long way. Great episode!
This is so cool!
Always amazing stuff, keep it up!
This was a great video, and the carbon nano tubes are cool too!
What is the vacuum tube amplifier?
I play tennis and hearing that they have a carbon nanotube tennis racquet is so cool. Stronger and lighter is absolutely the best! Going to tell my dad now.
Great Science Live episode!
Glad I joined this program.
The cup phone was cool. The carbon tubes are interesting !
Thank you for this lecture It was amazing
This was super cool!!
Great information about electricity!*
I love science live!
SO COOL!!!!!
i love this episode!
COOL 😎
Any more ideas on what the carbon tubes could be used for?
the carbon nano tubes were intresting.
Amazing Episode!!!
My brother and I have made a cup phone before.
love ittt
I learned a lot from this episode!
What are some of the devices that use vacuum tubes today?
I loved leaning more about the carbons tubes and how they work!!
Wonderful Live!!
Wow I really need to do more research on carbon tubes, I can’t believe I haven’t heard of them before! 🥲
That is so amazingly cool!!!
very exciting thinking we will one day be able to travel back and forth to space in a elevator.
cool invention R51
This episode was awesome!!
I learn so much from the science live!
Wow! Carbon nanotubes are 100x stronger than steel and 1000x longer than their diameter. The strong carbon bond is amazing. Dr. John… that was interesting! There are so many fantastic uses.
I enjoyed learning about carbon nano tubes.
Hello from Texas
I’m here this was so good
Really cool 😎
This episode was great
Science live is so cool!!!
Thank you for being honest!
This episode was so cool!!
Happy new year everyone!
This episode was very interesting and very funny.
the story where Tobias talked abut the USB drive was fun
I love when you guys tell us how things work together.
I appreciate your guy’s hard work making science live possible!
such an awesome episode!
R51 is always so fun to watch!
Thank you for all the good lessons in science live! The carbon tubes are really interesting.
Thanks for another great live!
GREAT EPISODE!!!!
Thank You!
Science live is fire! I love watching it!
Really interesting
I would make a plant based sunscreen
This was a cool live!
this was a good episode!
This was very interesting!
I LOVE SCIENCE LIVE
hello from colorado
I would love to do more live’s like this, it’s so cool!!!
This episode was amazing! I can’t wait to learn more in the next episode!
I love these
Wow, it is amazing how Acellus is changing so many people’s lives, not just here in the U.S. but through out the world. I absolutely love my school! Thank you Dr. Billing! 🙂
R51 is funny.
Looking forward to the continuation of this topic!
this is soo fun!
Interesting episode.
I love how Science Live shows how different science concepts I’m learning connect and apply in real life!
This episode was very interesting. Always like to learn about energy efficient vehicles that are better for our environment.
Love the video
I never knew how Carbon Nano Tubes were made!
Super cool episode!!!
this video was so awesome. i learned alot
i love these alot
I love science!
Thank you for the video!
I learn so much from these videos
love it
I really enjoyed learning about flash drives from Tobias and vacuum tube amplifiers from Dr. Billings’ son and grandson. It was so fun!
This was so cool!!! I’ve learned so much and this is so intresting.
I’ve heard of carbon nano tubes before and this went into a deeper understanding of how they were made
Learning about the vacuum tubes was very interesting, I have a few of the vacuum tubes!
Go science
Great episode!
Who invented the vacuum tube amplifier? And what is it used for?
Wow this episode was so cool! I love learning about science
I like learning about carbon atoms!
I wish I can go to the science fair but I but live in Utah 🙁
What is the largest amount of memory a flash drive can hold? Great science live this week.
this was great thank you
This science live video talking about the vacuum tube amplifier was very fascinating.
This episode was really good.
THANK YOU FOR THIS IDEA
I learned about carbon nano tubes.
Science is cool!!
This was a really fun and entertaining thing to watch I enjoyed it
I’m still waiting for the Coherer science kit! 🙁
So cool!!
I need a carbon nano tube for my phone battery, it is always running out!
I love how they do this it’s so interesting and fun I love it
I really enjoyed this!!
How long would a carbon nanotube usually be?
Another great episode!
It is amazing how much I learned in just an hour!
Vacuum tubes are neat!
This science live was great!
Awesome science live!
This was a great live and I learned alot about carbon tubes.
this live is so cool!
I enjoyed the demonstration of the guitar at the concert
I love science
I enjoyed learning this week with science live!
I loved it !! 🙂
would also love to learn Morse code
Carbon tubes are super interesting!
carbon tubes are cool
this live was fun
It’s crazy how much goes into carbon tubes.
Science live is the best!!
This one was so good!
It seems like the carbon Nanotube could help with so many things. I bet it would help with a lot of energy conservation too.?
Science live was amazing today.
Thank you for this video.
How many computers were made?
Science live was amazing this week!
I love the cup phone
Can we use carbon nanotubes in all batteries?
How hard is it to make a computer and set up its programming?
How cool!!!
I like the part with the students at the end! It was cool. Silly R51! I like learning about honesty too.
I love live science
I really like Mr. Tobias. He is my favorite! Anyone else agree?
Science live is so funnnn
I think it is important that Dr. Billings showed us that he still pursued his Science Fair project even though things didn’t work out as he had planned. Being honest kept him on the path to discovering answers and more truths.
Honestly this science live thing is super cool
Honesty is great!
I agree that honesty is the best policy!
Me too!!
Honesty really is amazing!
It is absolutely mind blowing to even think that one day there could actually be a space elevator! And I too agree that honesty is the best way to get to the end goal you want to achieve 🙂
The carbon nano tubes are so interesting!
The vacuum tube amplifier is so amazing
I find it’s cool that the carbon atoms can be so small!
loved this!
I love Science Live.
Same.
It’s pretty cool how something as small as carbon nano tubes could be so durable that they can lift heavy weights into space!
Thanks for another interesting science live✨
this episode was so cool!😍🐼🥒
Science live is more interesting than I thought it would be.
I loved it!!!!!!!
In what year did Dr. Roger Billings invent his computer?
Which do you think is more reliable, a steam engine automobile or the internal combustion engine?
I love learning new things from science live!
Amazing video today 🙌
I like how you still remember your friend’s babushka, now I’ll remember too.
David!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
todays live was great! I love when Dr. Billings shares some of his wisdom with everyone always very special.
Learning about carbon was fascinating! These videos always brighten up my day.
Science live is amazing. There isn’t a time I don’t learn something new watching this.
I LOVEEEEEEE these lives. They are the highlight to my school weeks.
I love the jokes at the begining! lol
I’m absolutely LOVING The Protégés segment! They always explain things so beautifully!
Also R51 is so funny. 🤣🤣🤣
Hydrogen cars sound so cool and futuristic! I hope more people look towards the future of hydrogen cars.
Tobias is awesome.
That sounds fun! I would love to visit the head quarters!
Great Episode, Roger Billings, I love Acellus!
this is one of my favorite episodes yet!
The lesson today was phenomenal, I just had a question for Mr. Billings. What motivated you to get into the field of science and do such great things?
when is the science fair
Famous Words”I’ve been in love with science since the 3rd grade” He is truely a genius.
R51 is the best. He makes it fun.
what is the most powerful vacuum tube amplifer
r-51 i love your radio 😀
r 51 I like your invention.
I want to make R-51’s radio at home and try it out for myself!