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 »



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!
Why is the tube amplifier different from the tube diode?
Since Scientists at Japan have discovered that by using bacteria we can make advancements in technology, is it being applied already or is it still in the phase of being initiated?
beautiful episode<3
This was my favorite episode yet can there be more episodes about music :)? 😀
how small does a cell have to be to fit into the batteries?
carbon nano tubes are really interesting
that was super interesting!!!
Wait this was actually so interesting
The carbon tubes are so fascinating !! I’d love to learn more.
This episode was awesome!!
I always love these lessons!!
I love Acellus!
Amazing accelus video Thankyou!
Science live was great this week!
I love Science Live!
definitely interesting to hear! i didn’t know carbon nanotubes quite existed and forgot diamonds were made of carbon too XD my question is, how do these current systems help with spreading radio farther?
We loved learning about usbs and flash drives
Where is the science fair located i would love to go!
How are carbon nano tubes made?
Again this one is as one of my favorite episodes I must say
My favorite part of Wednesdays.
This is really cool and also thank you for letting me know about the science fair
Science live is the best! I have so much fun
Yay! Another great science live I really love listening to the history part, maybe you guys can include more science on the ocean and astronomy? Keep up the 🔥 blogs!
This episode was really interesting, can’t wait for next weeks episode!
Love Science Live! This one was very interesting
This was very interesting!
this was so cool! I love science live!
This live is very interesting!
what is vacuum tube amplifier?
This episode was so cool !!
I love science live!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did not expect R51 to whip out the homemade ‘telephone’! (cups with strings attached)
Carbon nano tubes are so cool!!!
This episode was really awesome carbon is a super cool to learn about.
I enjoy watching science live.
Love the dad joke at the beginning!
How can we made homemade carbon tubes?
Great episode as always!!
why don’t we use the “light and strong” for bulletproof vests now?
This episode was really cool thanks.
THe video was very interasting
This epsidoe was amazing!!!
I love science!!!! I did a hpothsis experiment and it is WILL THE TEMPS OUTSIDE EFFECT A BUBBLE FROM FREEZING!! and I made a frozen bubble with blue food coloring. it is snowing outside you guys by me and I hope everyone tries to do the frozen bubble experiment like me. it is fun!! the ice crystals are so cool to watch and so pretty. I really like how my mom home schooling me too acellus! science Wednesday videos are cool too!!
Science live is so 😎
The carbon tubes are cool.
good video, can’t wait for the next one
Got to put this information in my brain file 😉
this was the best episode ive watched yet thank you
Acellus!!!!!🔥
I liked the part about the carbon nano tubes I thought it was interesting.
What are amplifiers?
my favorite thing in science live is technology spotlight
I’ve always wondered how AMPs work!
That science live was amazing.
the cardboard lady was funny.
Studying bacteria can help advance technology.
I love science live especally this video!
The usb is device I use everyday to make my life more convenient.
I enjoyed this so much, thank you!!
Big R!
Thank you Acellus, for this educational science live about vacuum tube amplifiers!
R51 is so funny. LOL!
Another great episode!!
highlight of my week!!
Carbon tubes are interesting i always look forward to these!
i loved learning about carbon
how many other countries are there Acellus students in? The family from Guam was cool.
Super cool stream! As an electric guitarist and bassist I’ve always been interested in tube amplifiers and I hope to own one some day!
The Vacuum Tube is a strong structure so when we burn hydrogen we get water so when the amplifiers boosts the signals it makes it helpful so when the sounds and more cheerful and clear it makes it light up in the dark.
Science live gave me something to think about this week.
It was so cool learning about how they inveted the flash drive! I also loved when tobias said that the first flash drive held 8 meg his voice was so funny in tht moment.🤪
This episode was super cool!
R-51 is my favorite.
Very interesting, very engaging, great episode!
Carbon Tubes are very interesting thank’s for a great video!
I loved this episode!
How interesting, I’m so excited for next weeks!
This was my fav episode!⭐❤️🐇
I love learning about carbon!
fire episodeeee!!
This was the best epiisode.
Like , “Lighter and Stronger!” Smaller an faster!
This lesson was great! So grateful to have the opportunity to watch these videos.
The carbon tubes were so cool!!
Carbon nanotubes are so interesting to me!
I loved this week of science live!!
The R-51 Super Radio IS the way to go.
I was surprised when I heard about carbon nanotubes, because it’s an item in a video game I play called “No Man’s Sky.” This video was great, the part towards the end got me cracked up. Lol
What’s r51 getting up to this time?
this episode was so fun
Carbon nano tubes is a very interesting subject to cover, lots to unfold!
how do you make amplifire.
I like the part where Dr Tobias was talking about computer data and stuff about how it works.
This live was amazingly interesting.
That was really interesting! I hope you find the woman!
a hydrogen car would be so much better for the enviroment
Do you think the USB port would be as commonly used as it is today if Flash drives used a different type of port?
How do you even make sunscreen that’s frendly to the environment?
watched with my family
I really enjoyed learning about the Vacuum Tube Amplifier.
This episode is my favorite!!!
We love learning about how all these computer inventions begin.
Hello from South Carolina
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!
Learning about carbon was so interesting!
Hi from Missouri
I love area 51
This was so fun to watch
Thank you for this Wednesday episode, I cannot wait to watch the next.
Science live is awesome! espicaly this episode! commenting from Alabama!
Hi from Missouri