Electronic "A" Quiz
April 1968 Popular Electronics

April 1968 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.

Here is an Electronic "A" Quiz for you to test your knowledge of terms, compliments of Popular Electronics quizmeister Robert P. Balin. The number of spaces is equal to the number of characters needed in addition to the leading "A" to spell the word. About half of them are easily identified, but the others might take some head scratching - particularly numbers one and four (hint: four has to do with vacuum tubes). Number seven's illustration could be better, so don't feel bad if you don't get it (I didn't), because it is a phenomenon only seen on cathode ray tube (CRT) displays, not on LCDs. The word "amplifier" fits for number eight, but that is not the answer sought. My score with only a couple minutes of consideration was a paltry 6:10.

Electronics "A" Quiz

By Robert P. Balin

Electronic technicians and hobbyists must learn the meaning of many technical terms related to their work. Illustrated below are 10 such terms having nothing in common except that they all begin with the letter "A." Test your knowledge of electronic terminology by filling in the missing letters.

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.

Electronic "A" Quiz Answers

1 - An AMPLIDYNE is a rotary magnetic amplifier used as a power amplifier stage in servo systems.

2 - An ATTENUATOR is a circuit used to reduce a signal by a known ratio while also matching input source and output load impedances.

3 - The ALPHA, or current amplification factor, of a transistor is the ratio of collector to base currents.

4 - An ACORN tube is a UHF amplifier designed for high-frequency operation by eliminating the base and bringing the pins directly out through the sides of the glass envelope.

5 - The ARMATURE of a motor is the rotating winding assembly energized through the commutator and brushes.

6 - The AZIMUTH angle of a tape recorder is the angle between the tape and the gap in the recording head.

7 - ASTIGMATISM refers to a CRT problem whereby an out-of-round or out-of-focus spot appears on the screen.

8 - An ARMSTRONG oscillator circuit uses a two-winding, four-terminal oscillator coil to provide plate-to-grid feedback.

9 - ALNICO is a commonly used magnetic material made of aluminum, nickel, and cobalt alloyed with iron.

10 - An ALKALINE cell of the common manganese-zinc type can deliver 30-40 watts per pound with high overall efficiency.

Posted September 22, 2023