physics

Louis Malter

Louis Malter is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Louis Malter rather than just read about it. In short: Louis Malter (April 28, 1907 – May 7, 1985) was an American physicist specializing in vacuum tube research and high-vacuum systems. He is known for his 1936 discovery of the eponymous Malter effect.

Key takeaways

Louis Malter belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Louis Malter to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Louis Malter from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Louis Malter (April 28, 1907 – May 7, 1985) was an American physicist specializing in vacuum tube research and high-vacuum systems. He is known for his 1936 discovery of the eponymous Malter effect.

Biography Louis Malter was born on April 28, 1907, in New York City. He graduated in 1926 with a B.S. from the College of the City of New York. He then taught physics at the college from 1926 to 1928. In 1931, Malter received his M.A. from Cornell University, and he received his Ph.D. in 1936. After receiving his Ph.D., Malter was employed by the RCA, first working in the Acoustic Research and Photophone Division between 1928 and 1930, then at the RCA Manufacturing Company between 1933 and 1942. In 1941, Malter was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society. From 1943 to 1946, Malter led the RCA Manufacturing Company's Special Development Division. In May 1946, Malter became the head of the Naval Research Laboratory's Vacuum Tube Research Section in Washington, D.C., before returning to RCA in 1949. Between 1949 and 1955, Malter corresponded with Leonard Benedict Loeb. In the early 1950s, Malter was the Chief Engineer of the RCA Semiconductor Division. In the late 1950s, he was recruited to direct the Varian Vacuum Division of Varian Associates in Palo Alto, California. In the 1970s, Malter acted as an expert on high-vacuum systems at Linus Pauling's Institute of Orthomolecular Medicine.

Personal life Malter died on May 7, 1985, in San Mateo, California. He was married twice, and had three children.

Selected publications Wolff, Irving; Malter, Louis (1929). "Sound Radiation from a System of Vibrating Circular Diaphragms". Physical Review. 33 (6): 1061–1065. Bibcode:1929PhRv...33.1061W. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.33.1061. Wolff, Irving; Malter, Louis (1930). "Directional Radiation of Sound". The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 2 (2): 201–241. Bibcode:1930ASAJ....2..201W. doi:10.1121/1.1915251. Zworykin, Vladimir K.; Morton, George A.; Malter, L. (1936). "The secondary emission multiplier—a new electronic device". Proceedings of the Institute of Radio Engineers. 24 (3): 351–375. doi:10.1109/JRPROC.1936.226435. S2CID 51654458. Malter, L.; Marcuvitz, N. (1938). "On a Modification of Hickman's Distillation Pump". Review of Scientific Instruments. 9 (3): 92–95. Bibcode:1938RScI....9...92M. doi:10.1063/1.1752444. Malter, L.; Langmuir, D. B. (1939). "Resistance, Emissivities and Melting Point of Tantalum". Physical Review. 55 (8): 743–747. Bibcode:1939PhRv...55..743M. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.55.743. (After receiving his Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, D. B. Langmuir worked for RCA in Harrison, New Jersey. During WW II he worked with Vannevar Bush. "Obituary. Dr. David Bulkeley Langmuir". Los Angeles Times. February 2, 2003.) Langmuir, D. B.; Malter, L. (1939). "The Rate of Evaporation of Tantalum". Physical Review. 55 (8): 748–749. Bibcode:1939PhRv...55..748L. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.55.748. Malter, L.; Brewer, G. R. (1949). "Microwave Q Measurements in the Presence of Series Losses". Journal of Applied Physics. 20 (10): 918–925. Bibcode:1949JAP....20..918M. doi:10.1063/1.1698253. Johnson, E. O.; Malter, L. (1950). "A Floating Double Probe Method for Measurements in Gas Discharges". Physical Review. 80 (1): 58–68. Bibcode:1950PhRv...80...58J. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.80.58. 1950 (over 850 citations) Bernardini, M.; Malter, L. (1965). "Vacuum Problems of Electron and Positron Storage Rings". Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. 2 (3): 130–141. Bibcode:1965JVST....2..130B. doi:10.1116/1.1492415.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Louis Malter

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Louis Malter claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Louis Malter before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Louis Malter ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Louis Malter

In research: Louis Malter appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Louis Malter in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Louis Malter is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1907 births, 1985 deaths, 20th-century American physicists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Louis Malter outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Louis Malter” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Louis Malter in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Louis Malter means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Louis Malter out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Louis Malter in simple terms?

Why does Louis Malter matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Louis Malter?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Louis Malter.