Vacuum Tube AmplifierÂ
January 14, 2026  • EPISODE 293
đź“ŚÂ 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 »Â
About the Roger Billings Scholarship Program »
this is so awesome!
A space elevator is crazy!
So cool, I love science live!
thank you for the video
Learninng about the vacum tube amlifier! Sending out and recieving information.
Love this episode
Amplifying sounds is all around us. Romans used terracotta vases to amplify sound by placing them under stadium seat so they would vibrate. It was a natural speaker system.
How does bacteria help about technology?
Thank you for another great episode
I love the way Science Live goes into detail about their topics.
Science has always been my favorite subject, and I love how these lives teach me more!
Thank you for always coming up with new, interesting lives! They always keep my attention!!
wow learned so much from u dr billing thanks alot
It’s crazy how this works!
Crazy Science I Love It
I am going to do a science fair
The voltage strength can control the current. And an amplifier can be used for the Signal to be stronger
I love science live!!!!
I love 51
Science is so exciting!!!
I love science live!!!!
this was cool
This was one of my favorite science lives!
I liked the part where they showed how the amplifier worked and more people could hear the music.
I have a usb flash drive that I use a lot!
That’s CRAZY, I love science live
I use amplifiers in my music class for instruments!
being able to see things like carbon nano tubes under a microscope would be so cool. Things you can’t see just with your eyes.
I think it’s so crazy how stuff works! Love the video!!
Love science live it’s always interesting!
I loved this Science Live and how R-51 brought so many Pajet Monets to do the R-51 radio with him XD
I loved hearing about the family from Guam. Their words were so kind and motivational!
Learning about flash memory was very interesting. I never knew it was non volatile memory used.
Science live is so cool.
We know how vacuum tubes control electron flow.
What is a vacuum tube amplifier, and how does it increase the strength of an electrical signal?
Thanks for the interesting facts
Amazing the tiny robot insects, that’s in-genius. Inventors just come up with some out of the box ideas.
Nano technology helping to build lightweight space ships one day. That sounds like an incredible job.
i love r•51
These just keep getting better I never new how they worked
R•51 is so funny!!
This video kept me very engaged and I was wondering about this recently!
Love how lightbulbs work!
I really enjoyed learning about carbon nanotubes, usb drives, and vacuum tube amplifiers!
Wow! These past episodes with your nephew and son have been amazing! Sorry I have been late I have been sick!
I love how science works and technology. I think it’s cool how someone created a system called the usb because it can transport data into computers.
Volotile energy is when all the data is charged but as soon as you unplug it it’s gone!
Thanks for another great video.
Hello from Colorado! I’m here for rhte Tube Amplifieer episode!
Let’s see the interesting facts today!
I really enjoyed watching this one
i hope i get to see more episodes like this
i had a lot of fun watching this i hope more like this come out
Coul vacuum tubes work like other stuff?
I would really love to be a part of the scientific community. Thank you for this interesting video.
Learning about vacuum amplifiers was amazing !!
I love science live, the great video i learned a lot!
Carbon nanotubes are very cool
I’ve learned more information about radios than I know what to do with! Thank you!
I love Acellus, it’s been so beneficial for me!
Hi, from South Florida.
What an amazing episode that one is.
I enjoyed this very much
crazy how things in the world work
I learned so much this week!
An elevator to space (heaven) would be cool do i can see my grandpa
It is so cool how stuff works, Great video.
I love you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Delilah
Excellent live!! this was so interesting.
This video was super cool
The how to study segment is my favorite part of science live. I love hearing other peoples stories with acellus
This is an awesome demonstration!
I vote for dr billings
I’ve never heard of carbon nano tubes before! They sound suuuuuper useful
This is crazy and the life advice was great
this is a cool thing i got to learn so much. it is so funny to i love science lives.
i love this school
This episode was really interesting. Carbon Nanotubes are fascinating.
sunscreen made out of bacteria sound cool
I love these episodes!
The end is so funny
I love science live videos
Cool episode! Thank you!
What’s a vacuum tube amplifier?
Its so cool how stuff works, Good video.
Space elevator?!?!?!?!?!?!?! That’s crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I learn so much from these videos!
I find vaccum tube amplifiers fascinating!
I LOVE SCIENCE LIVE!!!!!!!
I love space but I feel much safer here on Earth!
Hi I’m Emma from tx
Hi from north Carolina
R 51 is so funny
So cool! being honest is so important.
Loved this episode, one of my favorites!
r51 always looks so goofy.
Vacuum tube amplifiers are very cool.
I learned how vacuum tube amplifiers works and makes sound louder
Regret not watching this one sooner!
so crazy how things work!
science live is so interesting
Science live is awesome!!
It’s crazy to think that outside of earth there are so many other planets!
Could you do an online entry for the science fair?
Thanks learned something new!
Thank you so much! Enjoyed
Thank you for this episode! I enjoyed it a lot.
I’m really excited for the science fair.
R-51 always makes me laugh.
Thank you for another awesome science lesson.
It’s so cool how volume gets louder when used through a vacuum tube
This is one of the best topics on science live yet
That was awesome how R-51 got the sound to go through the cups!
This was great. I learned a lot.
Binary code is pretty cool! I want to use it someday
I love science live!
Watching these videos i want to invent something.
Crazy how stuff works
I like to explore the vacuum tubes controls flow.
Based off this video, I learned that vacuum amplifiers make the working of the vacuum louder. And I also learned that carbon nanotubes can also make multiple batteries last longer, lengthening the life of it.
I like to learn about how the technology that made it possible to boost the electrical signal.
Amazing video! carbon nanotubes are so interesting
This video was fascintating!
i love vacuum amplifiers
By “not to scale” he meant not the actual size right?
i like the way yall brake it down it really helps!
I learned about morse code
I didn’t know what a vacuum amplifier was until now! thank you science live!!
How else can we use vacuum tube amplifiers? It was cool to learn about them!
such a great science live!
this science live was so interesting
I love all the facts that every episode brings thank you Dr. Billings
science can take you anywhere
I love science live great video.
I loved the video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#1
Honesty is the best policy! The usb making is incredible.
Thank you for the information on the flash drive, something so simple in life but has big story behind it.
science live is awesome
it was interesting to learn about Lee de Forest and the diode to triode and the big changes that made. I play the piano so amplification and how it works was neat to learn about.
Such valuable lessons. Loved the video.
Hi when is the next episode of science live coming out?
vacuum amplifers are so fun to learn about
Bacteria has a lot of useful benefits I think.
I wasn’t able to find the paper cup communicator instructions. I would like to make it for me and my little sister.
Another great episode! I haven’t seen a cup phone in forever, we loved playing with them when I was younger!
Loved this episode! So cool
I loved this live
Hello from NY!
how vacuum tube amplifier work
I love how science live answers questions i never even thought to ask! Very informative!!
Hello from Colorado! I have an amplifier in my car, same but different. I love it though.
What are carbon atoms?
very interesting. Never though of that.
Vaccum tubes are interesting
Hi from NM
Where is the science fair gonna be?
Love this video sooo much!!
The story of the creation of the first flash drive was so interesting!
Science is my favorite subject and these videos help me learn more!
science live is awesome
i like how you voice r 51.
When will we see hydrogen cars on the road?
I never knew this! This was a great episode!
SCIENCE LIVE IS SO COOL
Love this , thank you for showing us this!
Science live is awesome, keep it up
This was very interesting because my mom is always talking about using sound at work as a sonographer. “Sounds like” there are a lot of similarities with the vacuum amplifier and ultrasound. “See” what I did there? Izzy
The fact that he built the hydrogen car for a HS science fair is pretty impressive
Very interesting, I love Science Live.
I love science lives! Never knew this!
I loved this one
I always learn something new when I watch Science Live!
my favorite science video so far!
These are my favorite videos!
Science fairs seem to be so fun!