The War of Currents era which was in the late 1880s, was over direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) for electric power distribution. DC or direct current, which means current flows in only one direction, differs from AC or alternating current which when flowing in a circuit is constantly being reversed back and forth. Both sides had there “Giants” in the scientific world, AC had Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse and DC had Thomas Edison. Because of their differing ideas these men would become adversaries. It is important to know what the pros are for both AC and DC as well as why in the end AC won out over DC.
The year 1887 was a busy one for Nikola Tesla, in the months of November and December alone he filed for seven patents for AC motors and power transmissions. These ideas caught the attention of George Westinghouse who bought them from him seeing their potential. One of his most important inventions Westinghouse bought was the transformer. With a transformer, an AC distribution system can allow a large amount of power to be transmitted at high voltages over long ...
Nikola Tesla (Physicist, Inventor, Futurist) – Nikola Tesla was a Serbian American electrical engineer, inventor, physicist, futurist and mechanical engineer who was recognized for his assistance in the proposal of alternating current (AC) for the system of electricity. He was born on July 10, 1856 in Smiljan, Austrian Empire which is presently known as Croatia. His father was named Milutin Tesla and was an Orthodox Priest. While his mother, Duka Tesla, was good in making home mechanical appliances, craft tools and has the skill to memorize Serbian poems.
Tesla’s career as an inventor started when he was in his late twenties. He displayed his incredible understanding of electricity and physics when he created his first invention, the induction motor. The induction motor is a small, electric motor that has become a very useful machine. In fact, most household appliances run using Tesla’s induction motor (Vujovic 1). Score one for Tesla. Soon after he invented the induction motor, Tesla moved to America to try his luck at living the American dream. While in New York City, Tesla got the amazing opportunity to work for his hero, Thomas Edison. However, Tesla soon quit working for Edison due to some disagreements between the two inventors. And so with Edison and his men biting at Tesla’s heels, Nikola set out on his own to make a name for himself (Vujovic 1). Tesla soon became Edison’s greatest competitor. While tinkering in his lab with one of his inventions called the Tesla Coil, Tesla discovered that he could send and receive radio signals when his coils were tuned to the exact same frequency...
Causing four years of bloodshed on American ground, the Civil War was considered to be one of the most divisive wars in American history. Lasting from 1861 to 1865, the US Civil War was fought between the American people, mainly the northern states versus the southern states. There is a common misconception that slavery is the key issue that led to the American Civil War. However, there were several other reasons that pushed American into the “Great American Tragedy”. Because the North and the South were very different economically, socially, and politically, and with territorial expansion all of this eventually resulted in the Civil War, or the War Between the States.
The American Civil War fought from 1861 to 1865 is described as “the bloodiest conflict in the history of North America” (Feature Causes Of The Civil War). The Civil war or war between the states was fought for many economic, political and moral reasons tracing back to the very start of America. The civil war fought between the Northern and Southern states is truly a significant event in the history of the United States because it involved American citizens fighting against each other. The American civil war was initiated through the controversy over slave labor, unfair actions toward Southern states and the vast division between the Northern and Southern states.
A major conflict in the United States’ history is the American Civil War. Many causes led to the Civil War. This all happened around the mid 1800s. It was a conflict between the Northern and Southern states.
In 1882, Nikola came up with the idea for a brushless AC motor and made his first sketches of it rotating electromagnets. He began working for the continental Edison Company in France designing and making improvements to the electrical equipment. Then in June 1884, Tesla relocated to New York City where he was hired by Thomas Edison to work at his Edison Machine Works. He and Edison worked alongside one another making improvements to Edison’s inventions. After several months they parted ways due to a disagreement over a
Vanderbilt’s railroads had a networth of 75 billion dollars. He has shaped America by connecting locations in America, and has made easy transportation for all individuals. JP Morgan began in the banking industry, only to end up teaming up with Edison and his brilliant plans in order to create the lightbulb that used direct current (D/C) The lightbulb was the first form of electricity and without it today, lighting in rooms and outside lighting would not be possible. However, Morgan was not yet satisfied with the power he had… he needed more, Morgan secretly began to buy out Edison’s company, and changes the name from “Edison’s General Electric” to “General Electric.” Morgan began to gain control of the stocks of the railroad, he became one of the world’s most powerful railroad magnates, controlling about 5,000 miles of American railroads in the 1902. Morgan also successfully led American financial community’s attempt to avert a general financial collapse following the stock market panic of the 1907. They were the beginning of the industrial movement, and more industrialist were still to be
It seems since that dawn of the era of man we have always been in competition with one another. We have fought countless wars over every issue imaginable, with many great civilizations being founded and destroyed by war. Though with each new conflict comes newer and better technology. Technology is what drives civilizations forward, but it can also lead to its downfall. It is fascinating see how much technology has evolved over history, and how we have incorporated these innovations into newer technology. In past century technology has seen its greatest leap forward. This is in large part due to the two major World Wars that plagued the early part of the 20th century. (Koch p.122)
“World’s first electric car built by Victorian inventor in 1884.” The Telegraph. N.p., 24 Apr. 2009. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. .
After he was done with his telegraph job, on October 11th, 1868 he got his first patented invention for an electrical vote recorder. To Edison's surprise it wasn't popular enough among the people. After this incident, Edison became more determined towards making certain there was a strong public demand for anything he was going to invent. He improved the original stock ticker and invented the Universal Stock Ticker and the Unison Device. I...
This feud still affects us to this day as we learn it to be the history of our world. It shaped so much of the past due to the fact that the majority of the world was involved, meaning the generations around the world will continue learning about it. The development of the war can be told using the acronyms: M.A.I.N, F.a.T B.A.B.A and A.R.S.E, which will be outlined in the following paragraphs.
First off, what is current. Current is expressed in a unit called Amps. Amps are a measurement of how many electrons pass per second. That is to say, a wire with 40 coulombs passing any point in a 2 seconds would be said to have 20 Amps of current (40 Coulombs (a unit of charge given as 6.24x1018 electrons) / time in seconds or in this case, 2 seconds. The Amp is also known as Coulombs per second) Another trick about current is that it is measured in the movement of the positive charge. Literally that is to say the current moves in oppostion to the electrons. This is because originally it was thought that the positive charge is what moved, both are viable, but in reality a positive charge is generally fixed since within an atom the electrons are migratory, while the protons and neutrons tend to be stationary.
All useful generators of electricity come in two basic forms, alternating current and direct current. Direct current (dc) comes from generators that do not change in polarity, always producing a positive charge. In alternating current (ac) the polarity of the terminals is always changing from positive to negative. Thus you are left with alternating current flow. There are different ways of measuring and generating alternating and direct current.
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).
Thomas Edison is widely regarded as one of the most influential inventors and innovators of the Twentieth Century. Edison’s efforts ushered in a new era of technology; a world in which electricity would be harnessed and made to bow before man’s will. Walter Lippman wrote, “It is impossible to measure the importance of Edison by adding up the specific inventions with which his name is associated” (qtd. in Baldwin 409). Edison’s decades long career was a synergistic melding of his success as an inventor and his prowess as a promoter and businessman. He exemplified the ideals of intelligence married to hard work and perseverance. He forever changed the landscape of American invention and the limits of technological change (Baldwin 409).