Nikola Tesla: A High Voltage Wizard

Nathaniel Moeller English 2010 Mary Jane Davis June, 2010

A High Voltage Wizard

With lightning dancing all around a little house in Smiljan, Hungry, a woman who was large with child went into labor. As the pain intensified the clock on the wall started to chime the 12 strokes to midnight. On the very last chime signifying midnight, a baby boy was born. That is the beginning of Nikola Teslas story, a wizard of electricity. If we take a look around, we may be surprised at how large an impact this man has in our lives today. How many things can you see right now that run on electricity? The electricity in your home is due to this amazingly mysterious man. In his lifetime, Tesla would file over 700 patents. Many of these patents would be astoundingly advanced for his time. One might think the life of Nikola Tesla would be such a glorious one with the amazing inventions he produced however, in reality, the story of the electrifying wizard has its ups and downs, twists and turns. Many things are remembered about Tesla and many things that are forgotten. Teslas parents were vital in his being a well-rounded inventor. His father, Milutin Tesla, was an orthodox priest. Milutin trained both Nikola and his brother with all sorts of exercises as, guessing one anothers thoughts, discovering the defects of some form of expression, repeating long sentences [,] or performing mental calculations (Nosotro). Teslas mother, Duka Tesla, was a great example to Nikola of inventiveness and ingenuity. To keep up with the household chores, Tesla would find his mother inventing many different tools to help make her work more time efficient. Thus, although his father did a great deal to develop Teslas mind, his mother gave him the first taste of invention (Nosotro). As a child, Tesla had an experience where an extremely detailed image appeared in his mind. Throughout his whole life these awesome images would randomly appear. The images were usually accompanied by intense

flashes of light. This phenomenon would prove to be very important to his work. Tesla would attempt to recreate these visions through his study and inventions. While talking about how detailed the images were Tesla said, I was unable to distinguish whether what I saw was tangible or not. He also said, it is absolutely immaterial to me whether I run my turbine in thought or test it in my shop. I even notice if it is out of balance [in thought] (Nosotro). How amazing would it be to have such a detailed image and then be able to build and market it? Even in todays world with all the amazing mind power, what Tesla could do with his mind was phenomenal and rare. Tesla was not only impressive with the control of his mind, but also with his ability to control his desires and urges. Throughout his life, he was victim to a few of the worlds addictions, such as gambling, smoking, and drinking coffee. Tesla impressed many people when, for various reasons, he gave up these temptations, many of which are common for college students. What is also very common among college students is the hatred of studying. The long hours and the lack of sleep is truly not something many people desire. Tesla, however, put forth amazing efforts when it came to studying, further proving his amazing self control. While studying at the Austrian Polytechnic
Young Tesla

School in Gratz, Austria, Tesla studied from 3am to 11pm every

day (Nosotro). Keeping up with a schedule like that would put any normal man in the hospital. After studying in his native land, Tesla moved to America in 1884 to chase his childhood dream, which was to harness the power of Niagara Falls (Biography). He was able to do this in 1893 when the company he worked for, Westinghouse Electric, was awarded the contract to

build the powerhouse. When he came to America, Tesla carried with him a note from Charles Batchelor addressed to Thomas Edison which stated, I know two great men, one is you and the other is this young man(Biography). Tesla was hired and put to work immediately. Edison had a problem with an electrical system he designed called direct current, or DC. DC works by forcing electrons to move through a wire in a full circuit. They travel to the location where the work needs to get done, supply the energy needed to do the work, and then travel back to the generator. Edisons trouble was that he could not efficiently transmit the electricity over long distances. For his direct current to work, he would need to assemble very large wires and power boosting stations every two miles. Edison told Tesla that he would pay him a sum of $50,000 dollars if he could find a solution to transmit electricity more efficiently over longer distances. Tesla solved the problem by creating what is now known as Alternating Current, or AC. AC is where the electrons are not forced to move the whole length of the circuit, but rather they vibrate in place as the message or transmission moves along them. An easy way to think of it is by envisioning sound waves. As the sound travels, the air molecules do not move from the source to the receiver, but they bounce into each other passing the information as they move.

Sound Waves

Nikola Tesla

Thomas Eddison

After not only solving the problem with direct current, but inventing several other useful things for Edison, Tesla went to collect the money Edison had promised, Tesla was told that he had much to learn about American humor. Tesla stopped working for Edison shortly thereafter. This incident would be the spark that ignited a feud between the two inventors which would last their entire lifetime. Many times, Edison would do what he could to disprove Tesla and his work. One gruesome example of this intense war, was when Edison would kill animals in public using some of Teslas inventions as a means to scare the public away from his ideas. Unfazed by Edisons efforts, Tesla kept working on his ideas. Many of Teslas great ideas were brought together in a huge crowning moment in 1893 at the Worlds Fair held in Chicago. For the first time, a switch was flipped and the whole fair was lit up with electricity. Something interesting about this event, was, that by this time Edison had patented the light bulb. This meant that for Tesla to illuminate the fair, he had to design his own

light bulb, one that would not infringe on the patents Edison held. These patents protected only the metal fixture at the bottom of the bulb, and the way the bulb received electricity. Teslas bulb, which was more practical and cheaper to make, featured a rubber stopper in the bottom with two prongs protruding from it to receive the electricity. In todays society, there are many that would use their great ideas for substantial gain. Tesla however, was a cut above the rest. Though his ideas did make money, his main interest was improving the world and making life easier for those who lived in it. One example in particular occurred while working for Westinghouse Electrical Company. The owner fell under hard financial times and could not pay all that he owed to Tesla. In good nature, Tesla tore up the debt agreements and held no ill will against Westinghouse. One of the great inventions designed by Tesla still in use today is known as the Tesla Coil. The basic idea behind the coil is that it is a device that can generate massive voltages of electricity and produce huge discharges (Lee). Essentially, you take a small amount of electricity and give it a
Nikola Tesla sitting next to a Tesla Coil

super boost that turns into thousands of volts. Tesla wanted to use this idea to transmit electricity to the whole world wirelessly. He discovered that he could use the ionosphere to transmit high amounts of electricity without harming anyone or anything. His idea was to build a very large
Illuminating a Florescent Bulb

version of the Tesla Coil and have it super charge the ionosphere. If he

was successful in his endeavors, anyone anywhere in the world would be able to pull electricity

directly from the air. For example, if you were in a room with a Tesla Coil that is turned on, your body could harmlessly conduct the electricity which would light up a florescent light bulb. Tesla performed many successful experiments in Colorado Springs, Colorado where he lived from 1899 to 1900. Here, Tesla built a very peculiar laboratory where he conducted his experiments. The laboratory that rose from the prairie floor was both wired and weird, a contraption with a roof that rolled back to prevent it from catching fire, and a wooden tower that soared up eighty feet. Above it was a 142-foot metal mast supporting a large copper ball. Inside the strange wooden structure, technicians began to assemble an enormous Tesla coil, specially designed to send powerful electrical impulses into the earth(Springs).
Laboratory in Colorado Springs

During one of his experiments Tesla sent bolts of man-made lightning that were more than a hundred feet in length, out of the mast atop the station. Tesla's experiment burned out the dynamo, an electric generator, at the El Paso Electric Company and the entire city lost power (Springs). One of the most commonly used invention of Tesla, is the polyphase alternating current generator. The common person may know it as an induction motor. The direct current motor used by Edison utilizes wire brushes which need to be in direct contact with the shaft to make it turn. With the induction motor, there is no direct contact, instead, there magnets and coils of wire that conduct electricity. When the coils are charged, they literally push and pull on the shaft to make it turn. We see this type of motor all around us from things such as a battery powered car to industrial machines. The induction motor runs on alternating current, which is really useful

because that is what comes through the power lines, thus making no conversion necessary, as in direct current motors. From reading this essay, a question might start to form in ones mind. If Tesla was so amazing, why is he is not as widely known as other inventors of his time? What became of Nikola Tesla? It may be a result of his nature. Many saw him as somewhat of a strange man. He secluded himself with his work, he saw visions, he had a real problem with germs and also with the sight of a woman who had pierced ears. He insisted on doing everything in threes or things divisible by three, such as living in a hotel room numbered 3327, or insisting his sandwiches be cut up into nine pieces. He even professed to have had contact with beings on the planet Mars. As for what became of Tesla, in 1943 he died in the New Yorker Hotel where he spent the last ten years of his life. He watched as his inventions develop around him and there was no thought spared for the master mind behind the magnificence. Because he filed over 700 patents one would suppose that the money should be endless. Depressingly this was not true. Tesla died a penniless man. Sadly many of the things he envisioned were never accepted by society, partly because of what Edison did, but also due to the fact that people just didnt understand what it was that Tesla was doing. In his time, some of his creations were not given proper consideration. Things like wireless transmission, radio control, and alternating current to name a few. These inventions were extremely advanced for the 1800s, thus it is said about Tesla, that he was the man who invented the twentieth century (Lomas). All around us we see the magnificence of this great man. We use his inventions every day to help us be more productive. Tesla may not have been able to create something amazing for his time but, he truly created something amazing for our time.

WORKS CITED Biography, Tesla. Nikola Tesla the Genius Who Lit the World. Tesla Memorial Society of New York Website. June 21, 2010. <http://www.teslasociety.com/biography.htm>. Lee, Ezmeraldda. How does a Tesla Coil Work? Ehow.com. June 21, 2010. <http://www.ehow. com/how-does_4564039_tesla-coil-work.html>. Lomas, Robert. The Man Who Invented the Twentieth Century: Nikola Tesla Forgotten Genius of Electricity. James Buchanan, 2006 Nosotro, Rit. Tesla, Nikola. Hyper History. December 22, 2009. June 21, 2010 <http://www. Hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b2teslan.htm#note8>. Springs, Colorado. Tesla Life and Legacy Colorado Springs. PBS.org. June 21, 2010 <http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_colspr.html>. PHOTO APPENDIX Direct Current http://www.green-planet-solar-energy.com/images/DC_current.jpg Illuminating a Florescent Bulb http://www.pureenergysystems.com/news/ exclusive/2004/ pylon_ ambience/index.html Laboratory in Colorado Springs http://unkeptoblivion.blogspot.com/ Nikola Tesla http://www.capricorn-astrology-software.com/example_reports/tesla/Tesla.aspx Nikola Tesla sitting next to a Tesla Coil http://www.supercollide.com/2009_05_01_archive.html Sound Waves http://www.passmyexams.co.uk/GCSE/physics/images/long_waves.jpg Tesla http://cille85.wordpress.com/2009/05/page/2/ Thomas Eddison https://wikis.nyu.edu/ek6/modernamerica/index.php/AmericanPowerAmp CulturalHegemony/GoldenAgeOfAmericanCinema Young Tesla http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Transwiki:Nikola_Tesla