Denning worked in Bolivia during World War II, researching mineralogy and geology regarding the mining of tin. In 1942, Denning married Helen Green, then very quickly after, traveled to South America. From here, he briefly worked with the Army Corps of Engineers in Arkansas before accepting a teaching fellowship in mineralogy through Stanford University. It was here that Denning got his first taste of academia when he performed physics experiments with the faculty at University of Rochester while still in high school.Īfter high school, Denning obtained his BS in geology in 1939 from the Michigan College of Mining and Technology. However, Rey’s father died in 1932, and him and his mother moved to Rochester, NY. His father was a research electrical engineer, and young “Rey” received much of his first knowledge from him. Denning’s research interests did, however, include crystallography, optics, and various physics topics, which may have inspired him to create a Crookes tube.ĭenning was born on September 3rd, 1916 in Fitchburg, MA to William Wallace and Emma McConnell Denning. Denning was known to design and construct many apparatuses, both for professional reasons and as a hobby. This would be consistent with his fascination with different instruments. This would suggest that he constructed this particular device for his own enjoyment rather than for any research purpose. At the time that Denning designed and built his Crookes tube, this type of appliance was somewhat antiquated, with other, more efficient, X-ray and electron beam generators readily available. It is thought that the tube was constructed at the Michigan College of Mining and Technology (now Michigan Technological University), though even this isn’t known for sure. Not much is known regarding this particular Crookes tube, other than that it was built by Reynolds M. A sample can then be placed a certain distance away from the opening and when the x-rays hit the sample an image will be produced on a screen behind the sample. The x-rays will then exit through the opening at the end of the metal tube which sits perpendicular to the glass tube. As the electrons become excited and return to their original energy level, x-rays are produced. Due to the increased speed the electrons collide with the wall behind the anode which causes them to become excited. The voltage being applied to the tube causes the electrons to accelerate as they all move towards the positively charged anode at the other end of the tube. The positive ions are then attracted to the negative cathode, and when the ions collide with the metal the electrons are removed from the surface. This process of ionization will continue to occur as a chain reaction until most of the gas molecules in the tube have been ionized. If the energy of the collision is high enough an electron will be forced off the gas molecule and a positive ion will form. The electric field produced by the application of a voltage causes the gas particles in the tube to accelerate and collide with other gas molecules. The are several places that rubber vacuum tubes would attach to create a vacuum, two at the end of the glass cylinder, two at the end of the tube protruding from the top, and one directly attached to the main cube.įunctional Description: To operate the Crookes tube a voltage is applied between the metal electrodes at either end of the glass tube. On the upper half of the instrument above the cube, there is a metal tube that narrows in diameter towards its top. Adjacent to the glass tube, pointing towards the viewer when looking at the instrument from theįront, is a metal tube. Less than halfway down the copper tube inside the glass cylinder is a metal ring that has holes along its circumference. When looking at the instrument from the front, extending to the right is a glass cylinder that has copper tube extending the length of it on the inside. There are two additional tubes that extend beyond the cube's surface. The stand consists of a long tube with three legs protruding from the base. Physical Description: The body of the Crookes tube instrument consists of a copper cube, in the center of a metal stand.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |