The measurement of the transient power and energy dissipated in closing switch contacts

A new technique is described for the measurement of the power and energy dissipated in the contact gap of a glass-sealed reed relay (switch)∗ on the closure of a special coaxial circuit of which the switch is a part. The method uses two cathode ray oscilloscopes with provisions made to study time intervals of from one microsecond to less than a millimicrosecond. Also, a brief resume is given of some experimental results on a few switches.