Test Your Knowledge of Semiconductors
August 1972 Popular Electronics

August 1972 Popular Electronics Table 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.

The August 1972 issue of Popular Electronics included a short quiz by William Shippee titled "Test Your Knowledge of Semiconductors." I guessed wrong on question #2, but guessed right by process of elimination on question #8 (although afterward I discovered that in 2012 I had posted an article about the #8 device in Electronics World magazine). Go ahead and take your best shot. You might be surprised at how much you've forgotten if you don't work with transistors on a regular basis. I'll bet Q2 has most people guessing, too.

Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Semiconductors

By William R. Shippee

1. Transistor HFE remains steady regardless of temperature.

(a) True (b) False

2.Which of these elements used to dope semiconductor materials is an acceptor or p type?

(a) Phosphorous (b) Arsenic (c) Antimony (d) Indium

3. In a class A output stage, dissipation is always highest when there is no ac power output.

(a) True (b) False

4.Mesa and planar epitaxial transistors give high-speed switching and good saturation characteristics at relatively high voltage ratings.

(a) True (b) False

5.The configuration used most often for a transistor switching circuit is:

(a) Common collector (b) Common base (c) Common emitter

6.Many mesa and planar transistors exhibit negative resistance after breakdown voltage is reached.

(a) True (b) False

7. Voltage feedback from the collector of a transistor stage tends to increase the output impedance of that stage.

(a) True (b) False

8. Drawing (A) is schematic symbol for:

(a) Unijunction

(b) SCR

(c) Tetrode 

(d) Npnp transistor

9. Drawing (B) is schematic symbol for:

(a) FET

(b) SCR

(c) SCS

(d) Npnp transistor

10. Drawing (C) is schematic symbol for:

(a) Symmetrical zener

(b) SCS

(c) Npnp transistor

(d) SCR

(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.

Answers

1. b

2. d

3. a

4. a

5. c

6. a

7. b

8. c

9. a

10. b

Posted May 25, 202
(updated from original post on 7/17/2017)