[Table of Contents]People old and young enjoy waxing nostalgic
about and learning some of the history of early electronics. Popular Electronics was published from October 1954 through
April 1985. As time permits, I will be glad to scan articles for you. All copyrights (if any) are hereby acknowledged.
Back in the 1960s, Robert Balin created many quizzes on various electronics topics for Popular
magazine. I have already posted a couple dozen of them. Here is the latest one on the
subject of Units of Measure commonly found in electronics work. 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
See all articles from
Electronic Unit 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).
Electronic Unit Quiz
1 Ohms per volt ___
2 Inches per second ___
per foot ___
4 Microvolts per meter ___
5 Cycles per second
6 Gilberts per centimeter ___
7 Volts per inch ___
per minute ___
9 Volts per mil ___
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
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
8 - (C) Phonograph turntable speeds used today are 16 2/3, 33 1/3, 45, and 78 revolutions per
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.