Vacuum Tube Computing
February 4, 2026 • EPISODE 296
How did computers go from filling entire rooms to fitting in your hand? In this episode of Science LIVE, Dr. Roger Billings and the Protégés explore vacuum tube computing and the technology that launched the digital age. Hear stories about early machines, the Billings Computer, and floppy disks as Dr. Billings shares his firsthand experiences helping shape modern computing.
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 »
Crazy how much tech has changed.
this was fun! I loved learning about this
Thank you for explaining this topic.
R51 was funny.
I like vacuum tube diodes. They’re great.
Pretty cool how computers work nowadays.
Computers are fascinating
Technology has been advancing so much!
computers have changed a lot.
first time watching one of these, this was the best science i have ever learned.
and watching from Montana :3
Hi my name is Khaseda I like the way Dr.Roger billings solves problems I had a special day watching science live with Dr.Roger billings and Dr. Pajet monet.
Great Science Live, learning about early history of digital photography is awesome, and it’s neat to hearMr. Edmond getting to record the conspiracy class.
Thank you, I learned a lot!
The technology in computers is so advanced now!
Love Science Live!
LOVE THIS!!
I love these videos in lean so much computer science is so important
I love r51!
It’s crazy how technology has advanced so quickly!
👌
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned?
Have a good wednesday!
helloo from ct!!
Happy science live day!
love these lives this one was so fast love it
Really showed me a new intresting thing about computer science that I never knew. 🙂
I love how computers work its so cool
I agree I love them
I really enjoyed this video, I love r51, he is such a character. Also I am from Mississippi. I can’t wait for next Wednesday to watch science live. Me and my sisters enjoy it very much. Also I love when David and Caleb talk, because I always learn so much, and I never stop laughing when they make bloopers or say funny stuff.
I Like Science Live .
Love watching these!
Hello from NY!
Great Live I loved it
Computers are very cool to me. In fact I use one.
I joined the live later, I see one and zero’s were mentioned as language for computers. This is a interesting part I will have to look over again.
I lean so much from these videos computer science is so cool
I like learning about computers. Thank you.
Are there satellite regulations? Who monitors space? How many satellites are too many?
Hi from texas
Tonight’s live was great
still trying to figure out what R51 was doing
Hi from Kentucky!
It was cool to learn how computers started out! Also, that was definitely the wildest pizza delivery I’ve ever seen.
Hi from WV! After all that talk about satellites, I couldn’t help but want to have a bigger discussion about it. Perhaps in a future Science Live the topic could be about satellites and everything they’ve accomplished to aid humanity’s development, along with the dangers of having satellites in space. I just think it would be cool. In truth, I don’t have much to ramble on about this time, because I understood everything, so no need for questions, and there’s nothing I could say to add to the conversation as of the moment. Either way though, this was a good Science Live and of course see you all next week!
computers are awesome
Did you know the space between the earth and moon is so vast, that you can fit all the planets in the solar system between them with room to spare.
i love r51!
Awesome episode this week!
Science Live is super cool and beneficial!
Hi from Texas!
Hi!!from TX!!
I think is cool every how almost every device you see uses binary.
How do radio waves go across the ocean?
I love r51
I love learning about the moon!
computers have changed the world over the years
Computers, and techology in general, has come so far in such a short amount of time, really. It’s all pretty interesting. Have a nice night, and thank you Acellus staff.
Wow! I loved this weeks science live!
Can’t wait for next Wednesday
It’s insane to see how far computers have come! I loved this live, thank you
Tonight we learned about vacuum tubes and the first computers. Very interesting!
We loved seeing the guys again!
That is so cool! that a tiny computer chip holds that much storage.
I love science! Great video this week
I found the history of computers interesting!!!
my favorite Dr is Dr Tobias
I liked this video a lot.
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I love R51
I am amazed at how far coputers have come since they were invented.
Loved this live! Computers are so interesting!
its crazy how light buds how changed thru the years
Hi love you guy’s lives I’m also from Florida.
I had learned about GPU. Computers. Data, Memory. Transistor. Margaret Hamilton. RAM. John Mauchly. I enjoyed. Thanks!
It is so neat to see how much technology has progressed!
The video was very interesting, thank you for the advice on how to perservere through challenges and not to lose sight of my goals. The topic of the tremendous effort in NASA preparing the moon launch being brought up has really interested me. Although I knew it was hard for them, I never knew the true scale of the effort and time it took.
i like r51
I loved this science live!
Great episode today, I love to see these cool topics being explored in depth!
Hi from Florida
This week’s science live is really good, I’ve learned a lot of things today.
R51 is the funniest
Its really nice to learn about computer (:
Thank you Dr. Billings!
vacuum tubes make me think of the tubes at the bank.
That was interesting. Thanks.
I like the ww2 part
Cool to learn facts about computers
cool how computers have changed.
R-51 is so funny.
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I think this curriculum is so great and i think r51 is so funny. You guys are great at your job!
Thanks for the science Live
Thank you Dr John and Tobias for the lessons tonight.
I love science live and I look forward every wednesday .
What are the inviormental impacts due to AI datacenter? (Energy, water consumption etc)
I find it really interesting how nasa has to plan out three days for aiming towards the moon
HELO FROM VEGAS
Technology is so cool to learn about, always look forward to Wednesday!!!
Space technology is amazing, so many exciting things going on right now!!
I wonder how much more computers will change in my lifetime.
there is so much more to learn about computers than I thought
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So funny and interesting
I found that computers using binary numbers in order to work really interesting. I learned that zero means off and one means on.
It’s amazing how much computers have changed over time.
This is my second video to watch, i find it so interesting, im looking forward to the next science live, im so glad that acellus is bringing this to me, my life is changing.
ILOVE SCIENCE LIVE
I like the video and about computers. Also talking about how to get to the moon and about vacuum tubes .It was
so much fun talking about vacuum tubes..
I love science live.
this was a goodscience live no questions
Vacuum tubes are cool!
Hi from Cape Cod! I really loved talking about the 1930s and how they used computers. This was a really interesting class .
I like the video it so cool I will build my own computer Daivd you so cool and clab can you gave a class for the proges
Hi Elena Here !!!!😎😎😉😋😖🙀
This is how you spell my name in binary 01110010 01101111 01110111 01100001 011011110
My son is obsessed with computers or anything electronically really.
wow, this is so cool!
Hi from California
For some reason, with Computers ther like a human being
Hello from Japan, I loved learning about binary, thank you so much.
Guess what guys in six days it’s my birthday 🎉 have a great evening and forever on!
R-51 is very funny! Thanks again for another awesome Science Live!
I love computers
it is really neat learning how computrs work.
i like when they when they talked about the moon.
I have always found the complexity of computers to be amazing.
Super cool video of the show!
i realy enjoy science live
This is such a great video!!
I am so excited for the next week of science live
See you next Wednesday
computers have changed a lot
R15 is fun
Good job Caleb!! Did great this week!!
Thank you for the information.
Here from Savannah.
This is so awesome sauce
Why was the window not a square so it could just be a glass grid
I LOVE ACCELUS SO MUCH!!!!!
i know what a floppy disc is
r51 is so funny!!!
I like watching the proteges. My name is Caleb too, so he’s my favorite!
r51 is my favorite part of Science Live, he is so funny!
How do computers really work and only speak binary
The language is made out of 1’s and 0’s and storming memory with only on and off switch
In the 1930’s the first computer were actually people that sat for hours doing math.
Tonight’s Science live was sure interisting
Every story I hear about Dr. Billings inspires me to work harder. His passion for learning and discovery since he was young is a drive I wish to have.
What happened to humans body in a vacuum?
When writing code in the early years of tech, did you write in binary or in some other code?
I loved learning about how computers were made!!
Hey from Illinois 😉
Just like computers used to take up an entire room but are now much smaller, I wonder if one day the AI data centers will be smaller and more energy efficient than they are now?
Very interesting program tonight!
Great live! Thank you 🙂
How hard is it to write a program
I love science live!!
Would having the vacuum tubes be the exact color provide superior quality of color, or would it result in no visible change?
hi from Montgomery and it’s my birthday
I really liked the computer guys they were funny
Love R51!!!!
I personally am interested with this factor and I would like to learn more.
Computers are so cool.
I agree, computer science is very exciting, and intresting to say the least. I too like to program in python and making my own games. 🙂
Hi from Texas
Its amazing how computers have changed.
Yeah I loved science live it was really interesting
The protogeset has very cool editing
pretty cool science live this week.
I liked learning about computers
Loved science live today!! And love computers.
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I love r51!
Hello from NJ
I always look forward to logging on Wednesday nights to watch Science Live!
Vacuum tubes may look primitive, but they amplified signals and paved the way for microprocessors. I think about this when I play video games. It’s kind of amazing on how my console runs and connects online so smoothly
So interesting, my brother is going to college to study computers better! Love to learn something new everyday!
i am from california
Hello from Maryland!
I really enjoyed this!
Hi from Mississippi
I love science live, because of the technology we get to learn about.
I want to build my own electrical switch board!
Hello watching from illinois