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 »
Amazing and informational live!
This was a really fun science life, I really enjoy Caleb and David’s part I can’t wait for more of these science lives!
I ENJOYED THIS
area 51 makes me feel so happy!!!
loved learning about the vacuum tube amplifier, honesty is always best. I Love watching R 51. Thanks Dr Billings for doing the science lives i learn so much from them.
This was interesting.
This is was such an interesting video!
Awesome live!
How cool!
I love learning something new each epsiode
love it!!
This was very interesting
Can we learn how to make a hydrogen car?
Wow! Technology is advancing at an amazing pace, its incredible!
The vacuum tube amplifier is so amazing
Awesome live loved r 51 .
I have never thought about where a flash drive came from, but that is genius! It was great too hear/see where flash drives have come from. Tobias never disappoints. 🙂
Honesty is the best.
Thanks for putting this on I love it.
I loved this video!
Loved the live
“Keep going even when it gets hard”
cool video
Hi From Brasil!!!!
Honesty is always best!
Crazy to think the first USB in 1999 was only 8MB!
Honesty is key
thank you!!!
I really like big r because he has made the first hydrogen car in the world.
honesty is so important!!!
Always love to hear more interesting things, it blows my mind every week.
It was really enjoyable
So interesting!
I loved this episode.
thank you so much i always get so much information whenever I watch this
I always learn something interesting from Tobias. Love learning how things come about.
Honesty is the correct polacy
Love this video!
Radio waves allow us to communicate over long distances.
Hey you guys!
The nano-tubes and amplifiers were so interesting, it’s sometimes hard to think that there are such important things around us that we can’t see. I have seen a lot of science channels, but this one takes the cake. This was also my first one.
Wow! I never knew about an amplifier until now, cool!
I love science
I loved the story about what happened your senior year and how you connected it with learning social skills.
This was really interesting! I learned a lot.
Honesty is probably one of the most important things. Great live
I just love this so much
Honesty is always the best policy with everything.
Everyone should always be honest
Hey! I’m Lila from Louisiana!
🩷Learned something new today.
Hello from Maryland
Great Video!
I think r-51 is crazy haha
Hello! So excited to see what the live has to offer today! 🙂
Honestly is the best policy!
Great information shared! Really could help in life!
Great Video!
Being honest is very important.
Honesty is probably one of the most important things. Great live.
fascinating about the nano tube battery.
I love Science Live
science live is awsome!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wow!
The non-pollution car sounds amazing! I would love to hear more about your journey of mastering hydrogen.
This episode was really interesting, it was so cool learning about the vacuum tube amplifier. It’s amazing!
I have always liked learning about electricity. I knew what an amplifier was, but I had never heard of a vacuum tube amplifier. That’s an amazing invention!
I loved this video and it was good hearing about honesty .
thank you for the video! 😀
hello from tennessee
The story about how the flash drive was created is fascinating!
Very unusual how Japan figured out sunblock!
Love hearing about the history of technology
Thank you for doing that for us!!!!
I like how Dr. Billings said honesty is the best way to get to your end goal. That’s the best way to live your life!
Would you still be able to hear someone through the cup and string if the string was a mile long?
Honesty is great
I like this about the USB drive.
I love Acellus!
The Live was very Informational and educational. Enjoyed this very much.
AMAZING!🥰❤️
Watching from kentucky
I love that you are able to learn about so many things in one video. I completly agree with the honesty portion. I also thought learning about the carbon Nano Tubes and how there are so many uses to them from electronics to vehichles and even body armor.
Hi from Virginia!
Honesty to yourself is important not only to stay humble but to also keep pushing you forward too. Dr Billings is amazing.
Always learn something new with these lives
I cant wait to make a R51 Radio
My favorite part was learning about the floppy disk because my mom used these when she was younger.
I thought the Radio Waves were fascinating awesome science live!
I have come to a realization that many people around the world are taking this online course and I’m looking forward to being more engaged and more included with the sense of belonging due to the support within this program .
i love science
This was awesome!
This was so interesting!
honesty is very important in life
ready for the new science live today!
Thank you so much for the video!
Honesty is the best key to life!
Science live is the best
Than you so much for the video!
Can you use an amplifier on a violin??
Do you happen to have an acting class? That would be very cool if you did… I’m pursuing to become an actor and I feel that it would help me build a good background along with the things I do outside of just schoolwork.
Honestly-Science Live is so cool 😊
Honesty is a wonderfull thing to talk about! Thank you so much for teaching me about this!
. Great segment on the vacuum tube diode .
I always love these science lives
Honesty is so so important and should be within everyone!
love from TN!
Very interesting about the USB flash storage, now I know who invented it.
I think that the bit about the flash drive was pretty cool, and I had no idea that a vacuum could be so cool.
Wonderful live, great job guys! I had no idea what an amplifier was before this!
Honesty is the quality of being sincere and fair.
honesty is great!
I love science live!!!!!!!!!!!!
carbon nanotubes are very interesting
My favorite part of the science live has to be with Dr. Tobias he always makes it fun, and relaxing.
That was really cool about the Flash Drive!:) Thanks Dr. Billings and Lady Pajet Monet!
Awesome!
This live was really great
Thank you
I find it’s cool that the carbon atoms can be so small!
i love science liveee
I really enjoyed watching that
I love this !! Honesty is the best policy !!
Me and my sister really loved the ending of this video!! Thank you for teaching us more about science each week 🙂
Where did Dr. Billings go to school and college?
This is so cool!
I’ve been to Dallas too! very cool place.
I’m glad that I can watch the older episodes. Since I have been really busy the past couple weeks.
This video was very interesting i liked learning about vacuum tubes
I loved the part at the end with the students! I liked the video a lot, it was really good. Looking forward to the next one! 🙂
i liked the end and learning new things
Would that mean with a vacuum tube amplifier you could seperate one large power source and separate it into powering different electrical systems?
I loved hearing from the graduates at the beginning!
Hi form Ohio
The Carbon nanotubes are really interesting! The fact that its made out of graphite is shocking and how we were able to make carbon nanotubes.
I enjoyed this video a lot thank you
Very nice video can’t wait for the next one!
Signing in from Oklahoma City! Getting ready for the snow storm!
Honesty is really important!
Checking in from North Carolina! :3
Ready for a new live show! – Salem
Honesty is very important and I really like these videos I am learning so many things I never knew about.
Thank you guys for all the hard work you put into this video each week and thanks for the great schooling program it’s so well put together 😁
This was an amazing live!
Hi from Texas, I love learning new things abot technology almost every live! theyre so entertaining
That is kinda interesting to learn about when you started on the hydrogen car!
Hey from Tennessee! Science is cool!
hello from ga
Honesty is so important!
Thank you for the video!
Hi from Texas.
i loved learning how the transformation of information has changed
i learned alot !
GREAT JOB!!
I love how small the carbon atoms are, they’re kinda cute 🙂
This is a great live honesty is very important
Hi from Texas love these lives!
Honesty is very valuable!
Great episode!!! I’ve really been enjoying David and Caleb!!
all week i just wait to see what is new this week, I love it
Acellus is the best!
What good information
This was great!
This episonde is fire
i love science
thanks for the video
Being an honest is one of the best traits to have.
honesty is a great thing
I love honesty so much and I love the live streams
Honesty is always a necessary trait to have to get by in life, lies only get you into further trouble.
Live was great, carbon tubes are very interesting.
loved the live!
Loved this episode today!
Honesty is the best policy
I find the Vaccum Tube Triode quite interesting, transistors used in many common computers use the eddison effect. Cool!
never knew about the usb drives, its interesting
It was nice to learn about how the USB flash storage came about.