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 »
I leanred so much from this video. Thank you so much!
Science Live is awesome!
I hope one day I can visit space!
Wow. I learned a lot in this episode
I love this video
What will be the future of computers next?
AI use a lot of power, energy and water to operate. AI use the power of 1.5 million homes to operate one data center. They want to help with this by moving the data center to space because they can get a lot of solar energy.
I love watching these videos every week!
Hello from NC. Its finally warm today
how did they build the rocket to get the fuel in without it globing up in one big ball and not ingiting
This helped so much I’m so happy I joined this program
I always learn something new with every video. Thank you for making them every week.
The part with the U.S. ARMY was interesting and the Top Gun movie reference was cool!
I love your videos so much. I even watched them twice.
Is it possible to recycle old satellites instead of just letting them turn into space junk?
I loved this video and learning about technology!
I like the invention guys.
Are there any viable methods for recycling satellites once they reach the end of their operational lifespan?
I love learning new things
Why dose AI use so much energy and power?
I watched this on the way to San Francisco, and I was very entertained!
I learned so much from this video, thank you for taking your time out to make it !
I love watching these every week!
I love science and really enjoy watching these.
I thought the video was fun and funny and I liked the black and white part about the guy who made his own weather instruments!
I am so glad to be a student this program
I always think that the stuff that Elon musk does to inhabit mars is very interesting.
Technology has changed so much already over time. I wonder what the future has in store for us!
Hello from Texas
Hello from South Carolina.
That was a wonderful science live.
Would there be a way to recycle all of the satellites when they get outdated?
Awesome video Dr. Tobias
I loved learning how computers were made.
I love it so much.
Thank you for Science Live!
Science Live is great. I liked learning that computers was once a name for people who computed things.
my favorite part was when they acted like pilots.
The computer differences through out time as technology gets better interest me
This episode was soooo cool!! It’s crazy how big the computers were!
Very educational. Always look forward to Science Live!
Thanks for another episode
Thank you for the awesome video
This is my favorite part of acellus
this was a great episode cant wait to watch the next one
my favriote is when the protoges come on the screen
How long or years, days, or months did the inventor take to even just build the big machine to send out the signals of the vacuum tubes and what was the first ever computer or signal maker?
GOOD EPISODE!!
hello from W.V.
The movie scene was funny.
This was good episode.
I wonder if going from the moon to the erth is more diffcalt than going froun the erth to the moon and will it be posbel to go to mars one day
How would collecting old satilites work, and who could they be reused?
I love watching these science lives I always watch them!
Thank you for this science live!
r51 is the best
r51 is so funny!!!!
Coding is tough – I wonder what my name would look like in 0 and 1s.
wow, computers are so much better now!
They talked about going to the moon and taking robots to the moon. They also talked about little computers and vacuum tubes. They showed us vacuum tubes in a u-shape that connected 3 lightbulbs together and they code it with 01.
this episode was definitely more interesting and i enjoyed listening to Dr. Tombias. really cool how the programs was made
It is so crazy to try and picture that many satellites in space! Thanks for a great episode!
Thanks for another awesome episode!
I want to be an astronaut!
I like the laptop part it was really cool
hi from connecticut!
That would be a lot of radio noise in space
I love these, they are always helpful and full of new knowledge!
I love Science Live! Science is so cool.
Thank you for the information!!!
This was awesome to learn thank you!
I really enjoyed learning about binary numbers!
What a cool episode! i loved learning about the different kinds of math required to calculate such diverse things. -Lydiann
I like watching David & Caleb teach , I wish they were my teachers at home.
Great video, always love watching your lives when I have time.
I love these videos please make more.
interesting has me hooked because science is so vast and huge with endless discoveries
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If Elon musk actually succeeds in launching a million satellites will we be able to see them more? Would it be possible to see them in the daytime with that many?
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R51 was funny!
Another amazing science live!!!! Thank you Acellus team!!
This was a great episode! One of my favorites.
Another cool and educational episode down!
Fun to watch
I want to visit Acellus world one day
This was such an interesting science Live!
R51 is the best for scinece live
Love watching something new every day on Science live!
R51 is super funny, thank you for making these videos they’re very educational. I never knew vacuum tube computing could be so cool and interesting R51 is my favorite. I wish I could come to a science live in person.
How many women worked for NASA in 1969?
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I think Margaret Hamiliton is amazing!
What an amazing episode., I will be watching all the previous episodes. It would be nice to put data out in space. Elon Musk is amazing.
I love watching Acellus live so much 💕
Was all of the handwritten codes made by Maratha all for the priority code or was there some secondary codes that she used to make her codes be top notch?
That’s so cool! I always love Science Live
Why not build a space elevator (or multiple) and store AI computers at the top of them?
Thanks providing great content for your students
my favorite part of science live today was the protégés! especially because they’re kinda funny!
very cool loved the episode
I liked seeing how much computers have changed over the years.
r51 made my day
Hello from Texas!
Love you Acellus:)
I wonder how much money do the satellites cost
I just realized when I watched this that its called Binary because it uses only two numbers.
I learned that John William Mockley was an inventor that was born in Cincinnati and was the co sponsor of the founder of the general purpose electronic digital computer.
Thank you so much, I really enjoyed watching this wonderful science live!
It’s unfortunate that I don’t get to go to acellus world but I’m happy for all you who get to. THANK YOU for another amazing episode!😺😺😺
It is so amazing to see how far technology has come
Which computer has the largest quantity of vacuum tubes?
That was a good episode!
Learning about the Acellus world coming soon has gotten me very excited, definetly gonna try and go there when it happens.
I ♡Science Live!
This episode was so fun to watch!
I love these episodes! Favorite part of my week!
R51 always makes me laugh
I”m happy to learn from these videos ever week.
I look forward to science live each week!
I love these videos they are so interesting.
Computers in the 1950s. They were big, bulky, didn’t have a screen or keyboard, and were certainly not Y2K-proof.
This episode was great, one of my favorites. Thank you Acellus!
So glad to see another episode.
R-51 always makes me laugh(:
How many files are in the AI storage unit?
Does Dr. Tobias have any other great tips for us? 😀
Awesome live😎
!I COMPLETED SCIENCE CLASS SECOND GRADE!
Learned a lot ! Liked the part about the vacuume tube computer!!!
this was very interesting specially the stuff about the model K
It’s crazy how computers would take up a whole room, and now have become so compact. Phones a like a mini computer even. Just like televisions have been compacted compared to their older original versions.
This episode was so interesting!
how is it cold in space if there is no air. how is the sun hot if there is no air?
I hope my mom takes me to acellus world
Thank you for this weeks science live it was very fun to watch and learn. My family also truly enjoys watching it too! Keep it up.
I really liked the explanation on vacuum tube computing.
what teachers are going to be at acellus world?
How much did it cost for the computer that Margret programed?
Loved hearing about the whole moon situation and love have everything talked about is connected.
Science Live is so interesting!
I want to go to acellus World!!!!
I love watching these videos, keep them coming!
I still can’t believe computers used to be that big! Loved this live!
I. LOVE. SCIENCE LIVE!
Omg that was so cool
I really enjoyed this episode.
Loved watching yet another great episode!
Computers are so cool!
Me and my Mom liked this episode a lot.
I love science live!
i loved this episode
They are so smart I can’t imagine what going to space feels like!!
i love watching these
i cant wait to go to the moon !
Computers have already changed alot!
Thank you for another episode I always love watching them!
Yeah these videos are great! 🙂
I agree(●’◡’●)
This video was awesome can’t wait til next one!
Thank you for the episode! It was so interesting.
Would there be a way to recycle all of the satellites when they get outdated?
I thought its was neat that we have computer names that all have 1 and 0’s in them and the way its in a sequence says names.
I love this episode!
This was actually my favorite live yet*
Acellus worlds looks really fun and interesting
The people involved in the science live are doing an awesome job of making science engaging and accessible! Their dedication really shines through!
I like R51, he’s so funny
I loved the really big computer
he really is
I really love the videos in Acellus! The institute of space technology is so cool! Ai certainly is amazing. I didn’t know that it took that much energy. Wow! Traveling to the moon is harder than Ai. This is my favorite episode by far.
Hello from MO!
Was all of the handwritten codes made by Maratha all for the priority code or was there some secondary codes mixed in?
Hello from NC
Hi from NC.
Hello from NC
Wow computers were SO big, it’s insane
I can’t wait to see what computers will look like in 20 years.
what is the grade level minimum to get in to the photgraphy class.
Great work as always!
I loveeeee science and technology!!!!!!!
The computer was SOOO bigggg.
I Can’t wait for Acellus world I’ll be there!!!
Data centers need to find a new way to cool.
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Why would you launch 1,000,000 satellites into the sky won’t it block more of the sun light that comes down to the planet
How much money would it cost to go to outer space?.
How long did it take them to make the spaceship?
I love these weekly videos!
Hello from Illinois! Hard to imagine the size of computers when we can work on small laptops now. This was another great Science Live thank you!
I thought this episode was really cool. I learned a lot!
I really like the Protegets!