From Crookes tube to Coolidge tube

By eyenah

  • William Crookes

    William Crookes
    • English Chemist and physicist William Crookes was born
    • William Crookes was born in London
    • He attended the Royal College of Chemistry, now part of Imperial College London

  • Invention of the Crookes tube

    Invention of the Crookes tube
    • William Crookes invented a partially-evacuated glass tube that contained two electrodes; when a high voltage was applied, the remaining gases in the tube would glow, and if certain phosphorescent materials were painted on the inside of the tube, parts of the tube would glow as well
    • It was initially invented for studying electrical discharges in gas
    • The flat disk at the left end is the cathode while the electrode in the short side arm at the bottom is the anode

  • William Coolidge

    William Coolidge
    • William David Coolidge was an American physicist and engineer born in Boston MA.
    • He won a state scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
    • He majored in physical chemistry and electrical engineering

  • Cathode rays deflected by magnetic fields

    Cathode rays deflected by magnetic fields
    • Crookes developed an advanced cathode ray tube with a higher vacuum than previous versions, allowing for clearer observations of the cathode rays
    • He set up experiments where he applied magnetic fields to the tube while cathode rays were being produced
    • Crookes observed that when a magnetic field was applied across the tube, the cathode rays were bent or deflected from their straight-line path

  • Discovery of X-rays

    Discovery of X-rays
    • William Rontgen discovered x-rays using a Crookes tube
    • Rontgen was testing if cathode rays could pass through glass by covering a Crookes tube with heavy black paper
    • He noticed that a green light still escaped from the tube and projected onto a nearby fluorescent screen
    • Rontgen took the first X-ray image of his wife's hand bones on November 8, 1895

  • Discovery of the electron

    Discovery of the electron
    *J.J. Thomson used both magnetic fields and electric fields to deflect the cathode rays
    * J.J. Thomson found that the mass-to-charge ratio was independent of the cathode material or gas in the tube, suggesting these particles were fundamental components of all matter
    * J.J. Thomson's experiments led to the discovery of the electron as a fundamental subatomic particle

  • William Coolidge experiments at General Electric

    William Coolidge experiments at General Electric
    • Coolidge joined General Electrics Research Laboratory in 1905
    • He developed the process to make tungsten ductile
    • This development lead the the replacement of carbon filament for tungsten filament

  • Coolidge tube invented

    Coolidge tube invented
    • Replaced the cold aluminum cathode with a heated tungsten filament cathode
    • Created a high vacuum in the tube, removing almost all residual gas.
    • Substituted tungsten for the anode target material, replacing platinum.
    • The high vacuum and tungsten components made the tube more stable and reliable.
    • The x-ray tubes we use today are still based off of the core principles of the Coolidge tube.

  • Patent

    Patent
    • William Coolidge applied for the patent in 1913
    • The Coolidge tube was patented in 1916 as US Patent 1,203,495
    • This is just 1 of 83 patents that Coolidge received during his career

  • Rontgen Medal

    Rontgen Medal
    • The Rontgen Medal was first awarded in 1951 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Rontgen receiving the Nobel Prize in 1901
    • The medal is given to individuals who have made significant contributions to developing and spreading Rontgen's scientific legacy, particularly in the field of X-ray science and its applications.
    • William Coolidge received the Rontgen Medal on his 90th birthday in recognition of his pioneering contributions to the science and technology of x-rays

  • National Inventors Hall of fame

    National Inventors Hall of fame
    • The National Inventors Hall of fame is an American non-profit organization that was founded in 1973
    • Nominees must hold a U.S. patent for an invention that is groundbreaking or has advanced their field in remarkable ways. There should be important "firsts" or breakthroughs associated with their invention
    • William Coolidge was the 11th person to be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of fame in 1975 shortly before he died