Nikola Tesla

Jonathan CrowePHY 240

2013

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/de/Tesla_aged_36.jpeg/220px-Tesla_aged_36.jpeg

Basic Information

• Occupation – Engineer, Inventor• Birth Date – July 10th, 1856• Death Date – January 7th, 1943• Education – Polytechnic School in Graz,

University of Prague• Famous Contributions – Alternating current

electrical system, Rotating magnetic field

Synopsis

• Siberian-American inventor Nikola Tesla was born in modern day Croatia

• Came to America in 1884 and worked with Thomas Edison to work as an electrical engineer

• Sold many patient rights, one of which was alternating current machinery to George Westinghouse

• His invention, the Tesla coil, is still used today in radio technology

Early Life

• Born to father Milutin Tesla and Djunka Mandic

• His father was a stern but loving Orthodox priest who was also a well known poet and writer

• His mother created appliances for farm and home settings, one example being the mechanical eggbeater

Early Life• The first signs of his genius mind came about

while in gymnasium (European secondary school) in Carlstadt, Croatia where he was able to perform integral calculus in his mind, initially leading teachers to believe that he was cheating

• Despite being oppressed by his father to take the life of priesthood, Tesla was determined to work in the mathematics and sciences; one of his early dreams was to put a water turbine in Niagara Falls to generate electricity

Early Life

• Tesla originally intended to study Physics and Mathematics but steered towards electricity while attending the Polytechnic at Graz

• Began as an electrical engineer at a telephone company in Budapest in 1880

Below: Polytechnic School in Graz

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Early Life

• Tesla moved to Paris where he got a job working at the Continental Edison Company

• Eventually moving to New York City, New York. Disagreements soon ensued between Edison and Tesla

Divergence from Edison

• These two men had completely different working styles and living preferences– Edison relied heavily on experimentation whereas

Tesla worked out theories before physically testing them

– Tesla preferred clean environments immensely, whereas Edison’s reputation demonstrates his lack of hygiene

Divergence from Edison• Differences in opinion over alternating current (AC) and direct

current (DC) sparked major disagreements between Tesla and Edison

• AC travels great distances without the use of power stations every two miles unlike DC current, argued Tesla

• DC current maintained a lower voltage from the company to the consumer, making it less dangerous, argued Edison

http://sub.allaboutcircuits.com/images/02001.png

Divergence from Edison

• Tesla’s theory that all energies are cyclic motivated his ideas for universal use of alternating current

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QtGv2q4DjAk/TxlvE9qmD9I/AAAAAAAAAIM/OzQ2BFo_yt8/s1600/Graph1.jpg

Divergence from Edison

• Tesla wanted to put a wager down to see which form of electrical current is more efficient

• Edison eventually gave in and offered $50,000 if he succeeded

• After working months and making progress Tesla demanded his reward; Edison responded says that it was a joke but offered a $10 a week raise to which Tesla denied then quit

Divergence from Edison

• Tesla put alternating current systems into generators, motors, and transformers as well as a few other inventions regarding appliances

• Raising enough money to create the Tesla Electric Light Company, he held around 40 US patients

• George Westinghouse bought patients from Tesla; and Tesla – Westinghouse were able to win current war over Edison, with the help of the Westinghouse fortune

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Tesla - Westinghouse

Tesla - Westinghouse

• In 1893 at the World Columbian Exposition Tesla demonstrated his alternating current system

• It was officially named the standard power system in the 20th century and has been used ever since

Contributions

• Tesla’s contributions are some of the most revolutionary ideas in all of the electrical realm of science

Rotating Magnetic Field

• In 1882 Tesla discovered the rotating magnetic field• Used this principle for the construction of AC induction

motors and polyphase system transmission for electrical power

http://www.teslasociety.com/pictures/ac/TeslaMotorBritishMuseum.JPG

Tesla Coil

• Tesla Coil 1890 – a form of induction coil for producing high-frequency alternating currents

• Frequently used in radio and television

http://www.teslasociety.com/nikolapic.jpg

Niagara Falls

• Just as he imagined when he was a young student in Graz, Tesla designed the first hydroelectric power plant at Niagara Falls in 1893

http://www.kerryr.net/pioneers/gallery/ns_tesla9.htm

Other Contributions

• Advanced work with the following: fluorescent lights, laser beams, wireless communications, remote control, robotics, vertical take off aircraft

• Total of around 700 patients world wide

http://www.teslauniverse.com/img/photos/400x0/9.jpg

Death

• Tesla passed on January 7th, 1943 at the age of 86.

• Several books and films were produced honoring his contributions to the world we live in today

• A museum in Belgrade, Siberia was opened in his honor

• His laboratory in New York, Wardenclyffe, was turned into a museum

Short Video

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M1IAtmzM3g

Credit to alltime10s YouTube channel and any forwarding sources for the video.

Works Cited

• Nikola Tesla. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 09:22, Apr 23, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/nikola-tesla-9504443.

• Sandford, M. (2012, March 05). Ac/dc: the tesla-edison feud. Retrieved from http://mentalfloss.com/article/30140/acdc-tesla–edison-feud

• Tesla's early years. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_early.html

• Vujovic, L. (1998, July 08). Tesla biography. Retrieved from http://www.teslasociety.com/biography.htm