discharge tube

American  

noun

Electronics.

1. gas tube.

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discharge tube British  

noun

1. electronics an electrical device in which current flow is by electrons and ions in an ionized gas, as in a fluorescent light or neon tube

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discharge tube Scientific  

1. A closed vessel having electrodes at either end and containing a gas at low pressure. When a sufficient voltage is applied to the electrodes, an electric current flows through the gas. Discharge tubes can be used to prevent current flow below a certain voltage; they can also function as lamps by the use of ionizing gas, which glows when current flows through the tube.

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Etymology

Origin of discharge tube

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Figure 30.4 A gas discharge tube glows when a high voltage is applied to it.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which had a giant electrostatic generator shooting 7,000,000-volt sparks from electrode to electrode four years ago, has not yet put it to work smashing atoms because of the discharge tube problem.

From Time Magazine Archive

The V-2 was steered on take-off by graphite vanes in the discharge tube.

From Time Magazine Archive

For technical reasons, notably the difficulty of constructing a discharge tube which will handle the flow of high-voltage particles, the practical upper limit for these types is about 2,000,000 electron-volts.

From Time Magazine Archive

The spectrum of helium as observed in a discharge tube is distinguished by a moderate number of brilliant lines, distributed over the whole visual spectrum.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 2 "Hearing" to "Helmond" by Various