Nick Holonyak’s 1962 invention of the “laser” type of these devices preceded the invention of their “light-emitting” type. For 10 points each:
[10e] Name these electrical components that conduct in only one direction.
ANSWER: diodes [accept laser diodes or light-emitting diodes or LEDs]
[10h] Another early diode was the Fleming valve, which allows the current to flow only via this phenomenon upon heating of the cathode, which is separated from the anode by a vacuum. This phenomenon was rediscovered by Thomas Edison as a reason for uneven blackening of light bulbs.
ANSWER: thermionic emission [or thermal electron emission; prompt on Edison effect]
[10m] Fleming valves were commonly used as this type of device that converts alternating current into direct current. These devices have the opposite function of inverters.
ANSWER: rectifiers
<Sudheer Potru, Science - Physics> ~20005~ <Editor: David Bass>