| While working for Thomas Edison in New
York, Tesla constantly argued with him regarding Direct
Current (DC) vs Alternating Current (AC). Tesla pointed
out flaws in DC, namely weak and inefficient output, and
it's inability to produce high enough voltage for the
electricity to travel more than two miles from point of
origin. This further strained the issue of inefficiency,
because a new power station would need to be built every
two miles. AC changes direction tens of times a second, is
highly efficient compared to DC, and can handle very high
voltages. In his efforts, Tesla ended up developing 40 basic U.S. patents for polyphase alternating current system generators, motors, and transformers. These patents were then bought by George Westinghouse, an industrialist, inventor, and strong believer in Tesla's work. Thomas Edison fought these advancements hard - he had already purchased and developed so much infrastructure for DC systems that he couldn't bare to see AC succeed. However, it was hard to fight Tesla when he kept advancing his discoveries. In 1882, Tesla discovered the rotating magnetic field, the core of nearly all systems that now use AC. His knowledge regarding alternating current, induction motors, and the polyphase system for generation, transmission, and distribution of electrical energy spurred the Industrial Revolution at the turn of the century. The final victory of the Alternating Current was Tesla's design of the first hydroelectric power plant at Niagara Falls, in 1895. Tesla was somewhat of a world-wide hero, a pioneer, a leader. His advancements then are now what light nearly the entire world. Nikola Tesla also worked with the development of Radio and Television sets. Tesla coils, fluorescent light, wireless communications, laser beams, and Tesla turbines were the most prevalent among his numerous discoveries. What he could not achieve, but always willed, were things like interplanetary communications and satellites. |
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