Middletown transcript., 1922-08-12
valve that PUT
RADIO ON FEET
"Thermionic Valve" Keystone Of
Arch of Modern Wireless.
DESCRIBED BY ITS INVENTOR
II Is Extremely Simple In construc-
tion, Says British Electrical Engi-
neer, Who Designed lt-ln the Same
Category Of Merit as Steam Engine,
Power Loom and Sewing Machine
Its Use Explained in Simple Lam
ouaqe.

The thermionic valve Is an inven-
tion which is the keystone of the arch
of modern wireless telegraphy. With
out it this kind Of telegraphy would
have very restricted use. With it
We can telegraph from England to
Australia at the rate of hundred
words or more minute. We can
speak telephOnically to flying air.
planes or airships 100 miles away and
miles high in the sky. We can talk
across stormy oceans many hundreds
OF miles as easily and often better
than we can speak across the city by
means of a telephone exchange. In
short, the thermionic valve is an in
vention worthy to stand in the same
category of merit as the steam engine,
the power loom, the sewing machine
or the petrol engine. Moreover, unlike
these inventions, it is extremely
simple in construction"
So says John Ambrose Fleming,
d. Sc, fellow of the Royal Society, In
signed article in the Manchester
Guardian. Doctor Fleming is dis
tinguished consulting electrical eng-
neer, and lectures on applied mechan-
les in the university and has been
professor of electrical engineering at
University college, London, since 1885.
He has been intimately associated with
the development of all the great ap-
pltcations of electrical science in the
past twenty-five years-the telephone,
electric lighting and wireless telegra-
ply. He is the inventor of the ther-
mionic valve, which has revolution
lied wireless telegraphy and made
possible wireless telephoning.
Approved by Committee.
In the article here quoted Doctor
Fleming writes:
"In the year 1920 an imperial
wireless telegraphy committee, APP
pointed to consider the scheme of in
accommodation between all parts of
the British empire, reported to par
liament the conclusions at which they
had arrived. These were broadly as
follows: "a That the imperial wire
less stations should he established at
distances of about 1000 miles, CON
Meeting the various communities of
the empire (2) that the wireless Sys-
TEN employed should be that making
use of the thermionic valve; (3) that
the stations be planned by wireless
commission composed of experts and
that the construction of these stations
should he intruSted to the engineering
department Of the general post office
and the corresponding Indian and do
minion authorities.
'The report of this wireless COM
mission has just been issued and
forms interesting reading to experts
in wireless telegraphy. The general
reader will, however, find its techni-
calities unintelligible in the absence
of little explanation. The first
question he will ask is: What is this
thermionic valve to which the commit
tee attaches so much Importance?
"Tbe thermionic valve consists
merely Of an incandescent electric
lamp, comprising glass or silica bulb
which is highly exhausted of its air
and contains a filament of tungsten
wire which can be rendered intensely
hot by an electric current passed
through it. 1t differs, however, from
an electric lamp by having the fla
ment surrounded by two metal cylin-
ders. The outer one Is a cylinder
formed of solid plate of nickel and
the inner one is either spiral of
nickel wire or else cylinder of nickel
gauze or network. These two cylin-
ders do not touch each other or the
flament, and they are attached to
wires which are sealed through the
wall of the bulb.
Atoms and Eiectrons.
"To explain the operation of this
device we must remind the reader
that modern research has shown that
the atoms of which material sub
stances are composed are themselves
formed of still smaller atoms of cleo
tricty called electrons. An atom of
matter is "A very small thing If 25O,-
100000 atoms of copper or gold were
put In row, like marbles, touching
each other, the row would only be an
inch long. But an electron Is still
smaller. Its diameter is probably only
one hundred thousandth of that of an
| atom. Electrons are of two kinds
called positive and negative, and an
atom is a sort of solar system in
which number of negative electrons
| revolve round nucleus composed
chiefly of positive electrons. In the
case of metals some Of these negative
elecrrons escape easily from the
atoms and probably jump about from
| atom to atom like bees in garden
| fitting from flower to flower The
| speed with which these free electrons
dart about is sixty miles per second.
Procession of EIectrons.
"'The state we call an electric cur
rent In wire is merely these free
electrons as whole drifting In one
direction or surging to and fro with
out ceasing their irregular motion.
When a wire, say, Of tungsten is made
very hot some Of these free electrons
escape from its surface, and this 10
called thermionic emission. II, then,
Protein Foods.
When we eat protein we consume In
reality 18 or 20 substances, known as
amino acids, each one of which may
have quite special functions In nutri-
ton. Some proteins are deficient in
certain Of these acids which are lack
Ing in the proteins Of corn and grain,
and for that reason peanuts are an
excellent supplement to q cereal diet.
whether In the form Of a meal or
press cake fed with corn and cereal