Like a lot inventions in the past two centuries, modern fibre optic cable was created for military uses. The manager for Copper Cable and Wire at the US Army Signal Corps was getting more displeased with the amount of signal loss that was due to copper cable. Like any person high of rank in the Army, he decided to take his trouble out on someone lower then him. In this case it was a man named Sam DiVita. DiVita wanted to use light transmitted via glass fibre to send signals from point to point, however, given that glass was a brittle substance, any fibres that he could produce would break easily. In September 1959 DiVita asked 2nd Lt. Richard Sturzebecher if he knew of a way to produce a strong glass fiber that would be capable of carrying a light signal. Sturzebecher had melted 3 triaxil glass systems together for his senior exam at Alfred University. In his exam, Sturzebecher had used SiO2, a glass powder produced by Corning. Whenever he had tried to look at the substance through a microscope he would end up with headache. Sturzebecher realized that these headaches came from the high amounts of white light produced from the microscopes light that was reflected through the eyepiece via the SiO2. SiO2 would be an ideal substance for transmitting strong light signals if it could be developed into a strong fibre. Being a government research project, the concept was introduced to the public, and companies were encouraged to compete for the right to develop the fibre. The in fact that multiple companies were competing for the development rights not only meant that it was cheap for the government to fund, but also that the final product would be high quality. Corning Ultimately won the developmental rights, and developed fibre optic cable into what we use today. The development of Fiber Optics has given us many benefits such as: 1. Fiber optic cables do not carry electricity, which makes them ideal for volatile area's where a spark from a broken copper line could result in explosive consequences. If the fiber optic cable breaks, there is absolutely no risk of electrical shock. Also, the glass fiber will not oxidize like the copper or aluminum wire traditionally used for wiring. 2. The true benefits of fiber optics become apparent, since it is not affected by electro-magnetic interference (EMI).
Maxwell in 1864, who said that electromagnetic waves should have the ability to be propagated
In 1950, the use of a single-channel "strip-amp" amplifier permitted the extension of cable systems to homes located even farther from the receiving antenna. In 1957, Jerrold Electronics Corp. began marketing an All-Channel Broadband amplifier for channels 2-13 and the ABC (All-Band-Cascader) covering channels 1-13 plus FM. "The primary challenges and issues in the '40s and '50s were everywhere. There were no satellites, no microwaves and we relied on off-air reception. So, our concerns were antennas, and signal-to-noise ratios. So we're out there trying to figure out co-channel problems, and with limited resources," said Bill Karnes, one of the first engineers at Jerrold, and the Society of Cable Television Engineers' (SCTE) first full-time president. Cable T.V. was a big improvement among antennas that could be affected by weather and could produce bad signals and as the 1950s came to an end, cable T.V. left its mark on society.
Controlling chemiluminescent light was how Omniglow Incorporated became the first company to produce light sticks. In 1986, when the first light stick was invented, scientists thought they could make a lot of money selling light sticks. However, since they had to make light sticks by hand, it was harder for them to produce very many of them. Until machines were invented to make light sticks, it cost too much money to make them by hand.
To understand the state of glass we must first have an understanding of the different states of matter. All matter is composed into states, and may move through these four existing states. The solid state is where the atoms of a substance are closely pact together with the only movement being the vibration of the atoms. The liquid state is where atoms are placed together in no order with a definite volume, but may move past each other giving it no definite shape. According to Science Magazine’s article in 1926 , glass exhibits traits from both of these states. It is similar to a liquid in that its atoms are randomly arranged, yet it has the fixed rigid bonding of a solid as well as the same high heat capacity(Science). This article in Science Magazine is a bit dated though and science changes drastically through years, especial...
There is a company known as Corning, you may or may not have heard of them but be assured they are prevalent in many fields as manufacturers of appliances with a wide ranges of uses. They have recently released information in the form of videos, articles, and Public Service Announcements in regards to a new product known as Smart-glass. They have mentioned in all their releases how the new technology will become ubiquitous in the near future. Also in their videos they show intended possible uses for the technology from everyday life to the work environment. With such a promising technology there begs the question, what moved Corning inc. to invest in smart glass technology? I propose that what moved Corning inc. to invest in smart glass technology was a perceived opportunity to branch out even more and allow for extensive innovation and spontaneity. I will be addressing my reasoning behind my idea for Corning's thinking behind the new technology, Smart-glass.
Philips made a strong push to developing new technologies starting in the 1950s and 1960s. Upon doing so, the company also wanted to translate these technologies into products while adapting, producing, and selling these products within individual national markets. During this time period, most of the companies in the electrical products market were bring formed and racing to diversify. However, Philips decided to stick with what they knew best. They made only light-bulbs. In doing so, their strong focus enabled the company to create significant innovations. Continuing on, Philips also became a leader in industrial research by creating physics and chemistry labs to address both production and scientific problems. The labs developed a tungsten metal filament bulb that brought great commercial success. Philips simple structure and significant innovations gave them the financial support they needed to compete in a time period where competitors were seeking major growth.
He was one of the first who created the "looker" (now called telescope) by placing two pieces of lenses together. The discovery that placing lenses together can magnify images was made by children who took Lippershey's spectacles and looked at a distant church tower. One of the most influential scientists associated with the telescope has to be Galileo. He took the design and reinvented the telescope into one of the first refractive telescopes we use to this day. Galileo used this great invention to report astronomical facts such as the moon is covered with craters instead of being smooth, the Milky Way is composed of millions of stars, and Jupiter has four moons.
Throughout the 1970s, concerted industry efforts at the federal, state and local levels resulted in continued lessening of cable restrictions. These changes, couples with cables pioneering to satellite communications technology, led to a pronounced growth of services to consumers and a substantial increase in cable subscribers.
Carbon fibers were discovered in the late 1800s by Thomas Edison. The early lightbulbs Edison created used the carbon fibers as filaments. These carbon fibers used to create the early lightbulbs had a substantial tolerance to heat, but they lacked the tensile strength of modern carbon fibers. Edison used cellulose-based materials, such as cotton or bamboo, to make his carbon fibers. He used a method called “pyrolysis” to cook the bamboo at high temperatures in a controlled atmosphere to carbonize bamboo filaments, making them fire-resistant and capable of enduring intense heat needed for luminescence.
All forms of commerce will benefit from fibre optic connectivity as it will lower the cost of communication, which is a vital part of any business. New opportunity for the growth of the data market will emerge as cheaper bandwidth should translate to more users.
The economic problem was that WorldCom had a vast supply in telecommunications capacity that emerged in the 1990s, as the industry rushed to build fibre optic networks and other infrastructure based on overly optimistic projections of Internet growth (Lyke and Jickling, 2002)
In 1879, after spending $40,000, and performing 1,200 experiments, he succeeded. He made a light bulb using carbonized filaments from cotton thread. Carbonized thread is ordinary cotton sewing thread that has been burned to an ash. The light bulb burned for two days. The electric light took the greatest amount of time and required the most complicated experiments of all his experiments.
The history of engineering goes back into the 19th century when Alexander Volta (1745-1827) made a remarkable discover regarding the nature of electricity (Cosgrove 749). He discovered that electrical current could be controlled and could flow from one point to another. By the time the mid-19th century came about the rules for electricity were being established. During this time electromagnetic induction was discovered by Michael Faraday who lived from 1791 to 1867 (749). Also during this time Samuel Morris invented the telegraph in 1837 which relies on the principles of electromagnetic induction (749). Alexander Graham Bell, who lived from 1847 to 1922, created the telephone which also uses electricity in order to operate (749). Through the success of the telephone, Bell Telephone Company was established. In 1878, the light bulb was finally invented by Thomas Edison who lived from 1847 to 1931 (749). Off the principles of Faraday’s electric motor from 1821, Nicholas Tesla invented a more efficient and powerful electric motor in 1888 (749). To make these inventions be more significant, effort was expended to make better motors and transformers and to enhance the power needed to make them function. Through these inventions during the middle 19th century, it led to the capability of lighting homes and cities through the use of electricity, and it also led to the creation of the telephone communication system (750).
It is just in these admirable shapes and forms that we see how much we can still expect out of glass in the generations to come. The versatility of glass, still has many pages in its credit to unfold, many more marvels coming our way and many more new discoveries. The entire timeline of GLASS is something which is worth studying and marveling
Looking back at the history of the United States of America from the first patent issued in 1790 to today, we can see how every advance in technology seemingly leads to the next one. Starting with the cotton gin, this simple invention allowed for much faster processing time, allowing for increase in profits.