> a few people came to me, VERY smart people,
> asking which side of a diode was the cathode...

Probably not comparable, but I still don't remember and probably never 
will. I know the band corresponds to the line-side in the symbol, and I 
know which way the current flows. That's all I need.

To recall which side is the cathode I have to go through a mental 
process: Cathode. There used to be cold-cathode tubes. So the default 
cathode was warm. So that's where they boiled the electrons. So that was 
the negative side. Current flows towards the electrons-side, so the 
cathode is the band. Amazingly, I get the process right about 50% of the 
time.

-- 

Wouter van Ooijen

-- -------------------------------------------
Van Ooijen Technische Informatica: www.voti.nl
consultancy, development, PICmicro products
docent Hogeschool van Utrecht: www.voti.nl/hvu

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