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 a unique quiz by überquizmaker Robert Balin, from
Popular Electronics. Names of components we use in
electronics - particularly ones that have been around for a
long time - were given nomenclature that come from the animal
kingdom because they happen to resemble one in some way. Probably
the most familiar are examples like the alligator clip, pigtails,
and rabbit ears - although the younger you are the less likely
you might be to have heard the names. Recent election results
in Colorado and Oregon may give a resurgence in popularity of
and familiarity with alligator clips by potheads.
Electronic Quizoo
By Robert P. Balin
When an electronic part can be likened to some member of
the animal kingdom, we often name it after the animal or insect
it resembles. See if you can match the drawings (A - J) in our
electronic zoo with the ten names listed at bottom of page.
1 Alligator ___
2 Butterfly ___
3 Rabbit ___
4 Bat ___
5 Horse ___
6 Crocodile ___
7 Bug ___
8 Cat ___
9 Pig ___
10 Spider ___
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 began life in 1996 as "RF Tools" in an AOL screen name web space totaling
2 MB. Its primary purpose was to provide me with ready access to commonly needed
formulas and reference material while performing my work as an RF system and circuit
design engineer. The World Wide Web (Internet) was largely an unknown entity at
the time and bandwidth was a scarce commodity. Dial-up modems blazed along at 14.4 kbps
while typing up your telephone line, and a nice lady's voice announced "You've Got
Mail" when a new message arrived...
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