The Growth of Electronics

The first phenomena that we now recognize to be caused by electrons were noticed during the nineteenth century when inventors like Edison were studying electrical effect's in evacuated glass bulbs and tubes. Sometimes certain areas of the almost completely evacuated vessel would become luminous and glow with blue, green or red light. Though these effects were exploited to produce colourful discharges—now well known as the fluorescent neon-tubes used in advertising—the cause of these phenomena was then unknown.

Then, in 1899, J. J. Thomson discovered the first of the fundamental physical particles—the electron. This particle has a very small mass but carries a negative electric charge. The electron is therefore very responsive indeed to electric and magnetic fields. Soon after it had been discovered, scientists and inventors began to put it to work.

The next invention, established the new applied science of electronics. In 1904 J.A. Fleming invented the diode valve which, with later elaborations, became the device which made radio possible. Marconi's experiments in 1901, in which he successfully transmitted the first messags by radio across the Atlantic, had demonstrated that radio waves could be used for telecommunications but it took some time to develop the first working radio systems. The first radio broadcasts were made in Britain in 1927 on short wave.

So electronics is the basis of all telecommunications systems. The radio valves which contained a gas at very low pressure are now being replaced by solid-state semiconductor devices called transistors which are much smaller and have a longer life than gas valves. Since the last war a whole new industry concerned with the manufacture and exploitation of solid-state electronics has been established. One new branch of this field has led to the development of computers which contain enormous numbers of transistors, minute magnetic cores and other new electronic solid-state devices.

The electronics industry now embraces radio, television, computers, automatic control and many other areas. Electronics is a field in which scientific research and technical development is still intensive, and so many more manifestations of the versatility of the electron can be expected.