Episode 102: The Wehnelt cylinder

The Wehnelt cylinder at Técnico has amazed generations of students with the possibility of seeing the invisible. For the first time in their lives, they were able to visualise electrons in classes taught in the dark. “I will never forget the amazement in the students’ eyes, seeing the trajectory of the electrons”, recalls Carlos Ferreira Fernandes, a retired Técnico professor. It’s somewhat understandable if we consider that an electron is smaller than an atom, which is “a million billion times smaller than a metre”. Created in the 50s, it was a teaching tool used at Técnico until the end of the 80s. The Wehnelt cylinder can be found in the Faraday Museum, at Técnico – Alameda campus.

  • Acknowledgements:
    Carlos Ferreira Fernandes
    Moisés Piedade
    Museu Faraday

Episode only available in Portuguese in: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Anchor.fm

Further reading and additional audio in the Portuguese version of this webpage.

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