As the electronics industry has moved from CRT (cathode ray technology) televisions to the new plasma technology, we have all watched as our television pictures became clearer and crisper.
Even though plasma technology isn’t all that new, the application of it in our televisions sets is. We all understand how a plain picture tube works in a television set.
What exactly is this plasma stuff?
Plasma is formed when two gases, neon and xenon, are electrified and the resulting phosphors (a substance that can emit light after being radiated in some way) begin to glow.
To get a little more scientific, the atoms that make up the neon and xenon release their negative electrons to float about and leave ionized positive atoms. When you have enough of theses ionized atoms, you get plasma.
You don’t need to be a science teacher to understand how all of it works, but plasma is showing up in more than just our television sets.
It was used in computer displays in the 1960’s and is used today in waste treatment, welding and drilling, propulsion, lasers, and instrument sterilization in medical offices and hospitals.
The average...