Electronic Unit Quiz
May 1962 Popular Electronics

May 1962 Popular Electronics

May 1962 Popular Electronics Cover - RF CafeTable of Contents

Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles from Popular Electronics, published October 1954 - April 1985. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged.

Back in the 1960s, Robert Balin created many quizzes on various electronics topics for Popular Electronics magazine. I have posted many of them (see complete list below). This one from the May 1962 issue is on the subject of units of measure commonly found in electronics work. All are still found in modern devices, so you don't need to be an expert on vacuum tubes and selenium rectifiers to get a good score. I missed the one for the tape deck, but then I don't ever remember concerning myself with the electrical and magnetic characteristics of tape decks. Maybe you will do better.

Electronics Units Quiz

By Robert P. Balin

Electronic devices have their sensitivity and operating ratings given in units that describe their most important characteristics. See if you can match the 9 electronic units listed below with the sketches (A through I).

Electronics Units Quiz, May 1962 Popular Electronics - RF Cafe

 

1  Ohms per volt   ___

2  Inches per second   ___

3  Micromicrofarads per foot   ___

4  Microvolts per meter   ___

5  Cycles per second   ___

6  Gilberts per centimeter   ___

7  Volts per inch   ___

8  Revolutions per minute   ___

9  Volts per mil   ___

 

See answers below. 


Quizzes from vintage electronics magazines such as Popular Electronics, Electronics-World, QST, and Radio News were published over the years - some really simple and others not so simple. Robert P. Balin created most of the quizzes for Popular Electronics. This is a listing of all I have posted thus far.

RF Cafe Quizzes

Vintage Electronics Magazine Quizzes

Vintage Electronics Magazine Quizzes

 

 

Electronic Unit Quiz Answers

1 - (G) The deflection sensitivity of a basic meter movement is given in ohms per volt, which is the reciprocal of the current required to produce full scale deflection of the meter.

2 - (I) The speed at which the tape passes the recording and playback heads in a tape recorder is usually 7 1/2 or 3 3/4 inches per seconds (ips).

3 - (F) The conductor and metallic braid of a shielded cable form a capacitor, with the insulating material between them acting as the dielectric. When the µµf. per foot and the length of a cable are known, its total capacitive effect can be determined.

4 - (E) The strength of a received signal is measured in microvolts per meter - the dielectric stress existing between two points in the wave front 1 meter apart and lying on a line parallel to the electric lines of force.

5 - (H) The precise and stable frequency of vibration of a tuning fork given in cycles per second is often used as a reference frequency in electronic testing.

6 - (B) The amount of magnetizing force required to produce a magnet of a given strength is measured in gilberts, or ampere turns, per centimeter length of the magnetic circuit. One gilbert per centimeter is called an "oersted."

7 - (A) The deflection sensitivity of an oscilloscope is specified by giving the amount of input voltage required to produce a one inch peak-to-peak deflection on the cathode-ray tube screen.

8 - (C) Phonograph turntable speeds used today are 16 2/3, 33 1/3, 45, and 78 revolutions per minute.

9 - (D) The insulating ability of tape is given as the number of volts it can withstand per mil, or one-thousandth of an inch, of its thickness.

 

 

Posted July 12, 2021
(updated from original post on 7/18/2013)