CRT: An Old Technology With Endless Possibilities - Essay Sample

Introduction

A cathode ray tube (CRT) consists of a vacuum tube inside which electrons are produced, and through their deflection by an electric current that creates an electromagnetic field, a trace is produced on a fluorescent screen (Cathode Ray Tubes, n.d.). In this digital age, CRTs have unlimited uses ranging from the television display, radar system displays, oscillography, and computer displays. In a nutshell, the role of the CRT is to convert an electrical input signal into a visible visual display. The main components of the CRT include the electron gun, which produces the beam of electrons, and a phosphor screen. When the laser hits the phosphor screen, a light that is proportional to the intensity of the beam is emitted from the spot or the area stricken by the beam of fast-moving electrons. The strength of the beam of electrons varies proportionately to the control element (Pichler, 2017). For a television or computer monitor CRT, the video signal (which is the electrical signal that regulates the intensity of the beam) is a function of the information that is contained in the picture. As the spot formed by the beam that strikes the phosphor screen is moved across the screen according to the picture information, it becomes clear how the CRT can be used as a reading or visual instrument. Although plasma LCD and LED technology have replaced CRT technology, there are many applications that only the CRT has proven to be effective (Arvidson, 2019). For instance, CRT display systems are used in environments in which modern technology equipment would not be sufficient. Analytical chemists, atomic scientists, laboratory technicians, industrial chemists are among the many people who use CRT technology for writing and reading purposes.

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The CRT and Writing Technology

There are many ways through which CRT as a form of digital display technology relates to the eight aspects of writing and communication. The eight common elements of writing include social-cultural, aesthetic, linguistics, rhetorical, technological, scientific, analytical, and also structural. Firstly, CRT based display systems are used widely in displaying and analyzing experimental data. Computer monitors that use CRT technology have made it possible for scientists to analyze data using sophisticated equipment whose processed data must be displayed on a phosphor screen (Arvidson, 2019). The relevance of the CRT as a writing technology about computer systems is that a user can input, modify, or erase data/information while viewing it on the CRT display. This improves the accuracy of the commands that an individual gives to the central processing unit.

Additionally, oscilloscopes are widely used in scientific learning and research institutions. Scientists and scholars can measure and make various readings of different structures using cathode ray oscilloscopes. CRT display is also widely applied in radar technology and other navigation technology.

The Relevance of the CRT to Chemistry Students

CRT technology is relevant to chemistry students in many ways. The primary significance of the CRT is that learners can go through the process of electron emission and various photon characteristics based on the electro spectrum, especially considering that chemistry revolves around the electron and the atom. Students also understand which kinds of phosphors in the manufacture of different types of CRTs for various applications. For instance, GB phosphors are more effective in the production of radar CRTs due to their short decay time. The phosphors chemical composition was (Zn, Cd)S: Cu+(Ca, Mg)SiO3: Ti)(Zn, Cd)S: Cu+(Ca, Mg)SiO3: Ti)) with a decay rate of between 100ms and 1s (Libretexts, 2019). Another significance of the CRT to chemistry learners is that they get to understand the process of combining different elements to produce the desired type of phosphor for various applications and quality of color.

Applications of the CRT in Communication

CRT displays are attributed to the revolutionization of the use of computer systems as mass communication tools. The computer unit, which is comprised of a central processing unit, the monitor, the keyboard, the mouse, and other peripheral devices, has many functions (White & Downs, 2015). Firstly, computers are used as communication tools when interconnected through various available networking techniques. When connected to the internet, people use computers to communicate with other users on the same network via email and other social media platforms. Students also use computers in their learning processes, such as research and document processing. Users can also use the CRT monitors to display digital media retrieved from the internet or played directly via the features attached to their CPUs.

Televisions based on CRT display technology play a crucial role as a mass communication method. From politics, advertising, news dispatch, and response to the tragedy, televisions have proven their effectiveness since their invention. For instance, in the 1990 united states electrons, tv played a crucial role in influencing voters. The television debate between john f Kennedy and Richard Nixon that was broadcast throughout the country received a viewership of over 70 million viewers (Arvidson, 2019). The victory of Kennedy is attributed to the debate that helped air his views to a broad audience through television. For a long time, companies have been relying on television advertising to improve brand awareness and conduct sales promotions; this affects increasing sales and profitability of the companies. Additionally, research shows that 52% of the US population said that their source of news was local TV.

Television has played a significant role throughout the globe as a teaching tool. This has made people change the perception that TV is just an entertainment tool. The use of tv is adaptable and can be used in different educational settings for various purposes. According to Chambers (2019), a CRT television can be used to display information and learning materials from an auxiliary digital compact disc player. This is particularly useful in places that have no access to the internet and where not all students have access to systems that can play such content in their homes. Prerecorded content saved in DVD storage media can be played for a group of students at a time (Wheeler & Clark, 1992). This has a significant impact on the learning process. In a formal setup, the television can be used as a broadcast tool in a learning institution. The institutions can use Televisions and display monitors to display memos, timetables, results, and other crucial announcements. The advantage of using TVs as a broadcasting tool in a learning institution is that it combines video and audio aspects. Audiovisual messages can be conveyed through strategically placed TVs to ensure maximum coverage.

Although CRT technology has mainly been replaced by LCD, LED, and plasma display technology, its effectiveness as a communication tool cannot be downplayed (Chambers, 2019). Most of the advances in the past decades can be attributed to CRT technology such as the CRT TV, the CRT radar system, CRT oscilloscope used by scientists in research work, CRT computer monitors that aided in learning research, analysis, synthesis, among other functions (White & Downs, 2015). Through the role played by the CRT as a mass media tool, global social, political, economic, and technological development has been rising since the digital age that was mostly dependent on CRT based systems began. Television transmits information to the public and keeps them aware of what is happening in their surroundings, informs them of the rights and freedoms, warns them of tragedies and catastrophes, reminds them of their duties, etc. (Arvidson, 2019). TVs also act as a source of information that can be used to learn communication/linguistic skills, ethical behavior & etiquette, religious teachings, relationship skills, among other personal attributes.

Conclusion

It is safe to conclude that the role played by CRT as a technology tool of communication is immense and cannot be exhausted. This essay has clearly shown how various devices that are based on CRT technology have revolutionized multiple sectors of the global economy. From communication, science, research, and education, business, health to entertainment, CRT technology have been at the center of their development. Additionally, as a writing technology, the CRT has achieved most of the aspects of writing that include technology, social, cultural development, linguistics, scientific, analytical, and structural.

References

Arvidson, E. (2019, January 10). Importance of Television in Communication. Retrieved from https://itstillworks.com/importance-television-communication-12156906.html

Cathode Ray Tubes. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/physics-and-astronomy/cathode-ray-tubes

Chambers, D. (2019). The Rise and Fall of the Analogue Television Set: From Modernity to Media Heritage. VIEW Journal of European Television History and Culture, 8(15). http://doi.org/10.18146/2213-0969.2019.jethc166

Libretexts. (2019, October 16). 4.7: Cathode Ray Tube. Retrieved from https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/Book:_Introductory_Chemistry_(CK-12)/04:_Atomic_Structure/4.07:_Cathode_Ray_Tube

Pichler, F. (2017). Milestones of Information Technology-A Survey. In Claudio Moraga: A Passion for Multi-Valued Logic and Soft Computing (pp. 83-103). Springer, Cham.

Wheeler, T. R. H., & Clark, M. G. (1992). CRT Technology. Color in Electronic Displays, 221-256. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4757-9754-1_8

White, R., & Downs, T. E. (2015). How computers work: the evolution of technology. INpolis, IN: Que.