Karl Braun shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1909 with Guglielmo Marconi for the development of
wireless telegraphy aka radio. However, he is still best know for his invention of the cathode ray tube and the first oscilloscope.
Cathode Ray Tube
A cathode ray tube (CRT) is a specialized
vacuum tube in which images are produced when an electron beam strikes a phosphorescent surface. The
cathode ray tube allowed for the invention of
television and other display devices, until the invention of the
liquid crystal display (LCD) screen there was a cathode ray tube inside every television.
Karl Braun Work on the Cathode Ray Tube
The cathode ray tube or braun tube as it was called was invented by the Karl Braun in 1897. Karl Braun used his cathode ray tube with a fluorescent screen and built the first oscilloscope called Braun's electrometer. The cathode ray oscilloscope is an electronic display device used to produce visible patterns that are the graphical representations of electrical signals. Karl Braun demonstrated the first oscilloscope in 1897, as part of his work on high frequency alternating currents.
Karl Braun Work on Radio Technology
Karl Braun improved Marconi's transmitting system for wireless telegraphy aka radio. In early wireless transmission, the antenna was directly in the power circuit and broadcasting was limited to a range of about 15 kilometres. Karl Braun solved this problem by producing a sparkless antenna circuit that he patented in 1899. He linked transmitter power to the antenna circuit inductively. This invention greatly increased the broadcasting range of a transmitter and has been applied to radar, radio, and television.
Biographical Imformation
German scientist and physicist, Karl Braun was born on June 6, 1850 in Fulda, Germany. He was educated at the German Universities of Marburg and Berlin and graduated in 1872 with his Ph.D. He became director of the Physical Institute and professor of physics at Strasbourg in 1895. Karl Braun spent the last years of his life in the United States, where he died on April 20, 1918.
