noun
- plural of coherer; early radio devices that detect electromagnetic waves by changing electrical resistance when exposed to radio signals
Usage: historical; electronics
Examples
- The early wireless telegraph systems relied on coherers to detect incoming signals.
- Marconi’s experiments used coherers made of metal filings in glass tubes.
- Before vacuum tubes, coherers were essential components in radio receivers.
- The coherers would stick together when radio waves passed through them.
- Scientists improved coherer sensitivity by adjusting the metal powder composition.
- These primitive coherers required tapping to reset them after each signal.