Nikola Tesla Research Paper

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Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison are two of the most influential inventors of our time. They are responsible for so many inventions that we still benefit from today; without them, our technological advancement would have been much slower. Nikola Tesla was born on July 10th, 1856 in present day Croatia. Thomas Edison was born on February 11th, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. The two met when Tesla moved to the United States in 1884 to work at Edison Machine Works, a manufacturing company set up to produce components of Edison’s illumination systems. Though similarly brilliant, the two had very different characters. Shortly after, Tesla left Edison Machine Works to pursue his own ambitions as a rival inventor. During their time period, their corresponding …show more content…

Tesla believed “he could increase the efficiency of Edison’s prototypical dynamos” (Sanford). Alternating currents are currents that changes the direction of the flow of charge periodically. It can also change the voltage of the flow as it moves and reverses. This meant alternating currents were much safer than the simple, one way moving direct current that was invented by Edison. This is the technology that powers many buildings such as houses and offices. One of our biggest energy sources the hydroelectricity power plants, which was developed by Tesla, also uses alternating currents. The water pushes the generator back and forth creating energy. Then, the energy is converted into electricity that is distributed across the world efficiently and safely using other various inventions such as transporters and alternators. Not only has Tesla contributed revolutionary inventions to the field of electricity, but his inventions have pushed the boundaries of civilization and …show more content…

The alternating currents or the direct currents? Direct currents started to become a problem because it required too much maintenance and costs to provide power to rural areas thus limiting the growth of cities. Edison proposed an idea to create small local power plants throughout neighborhoods and buildings; however, this was too costly and made it impossible for rural areas to receive power. The power plants also had to be within a one mile radius of its receiver. When no one had a solution to this, George Westinghouse decided to purchase and develop Tesla’s technology. This gave birth to a power plant at Niagara Falls to provide power to New York City, which contributed to the development of New York City. Since alternating currents allowed higher voltages to be transported with lower currents, power plants were able to be located miles

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