Please read the important information regarding these games at the bottom of the page.
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| Touching against the crystal was something called a cat's whisker, a tiny metal wire often composed of steel or even gold. By moving it, the radio user tried to find one of the so-called "magic spots." The reason for this name was that only small areas on the crystal would make the radio function - just like magic. When the whisker was positioned over a "magic spot" an electrical signal travelled down the metal wire and through the crystal. When this happened you could hear the music being transmitted from the radio station. This was an example of a phenomenon called rectification. Rectification means that an electrical current is only allowed to pass in one direction and not in the other. In the crystal radio the cat's whisker and the crystal worked as a rectifier. | |||||
MLA style: "The Transistor". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2021. Web. 5 Jun 2021. <http://educationalgames.nobelprize.org/educational/physics/transistor/function/crystalradio_2.html>
About the educational games
The educational games are based on Nobel Prize awarded discoveries and were produced between 2001 and 2012. The games have not been updated since production (including potential scientific facts changes) and are provided here on an 'as is' basis by popular demand.
Some of the games run using Ruffle without the need of any plugin, but most of the games still require Adobe Flash Player. Flash is an old technology that has reached end of life. These games will no longer work without a dedicated setup. If you are depending on these games in your profession, please advice your local IT support. We do not have the resources to provide support.
We are working on supporting other games using Ruffle as well. We also hope to publish a new version of the Blood typing game, our most popular game, in mid-2021.