By Lucine Avanesian
Who was Nikola Tesla?
Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), a Serbian-American engineer and physicist, made dozens of breakthroughs in the production, transmission and application of electric power. He invented the first motor with alternating current (AC) and developed technology for AC generation and transmission. Though he was famous and admired, unlike his early employer and chief competitor, Thomas Edison, he was never able to convert his abundant inventions into long-term financial success.
What are some of his inventions?
The Tesla Turbine
In the automotive industry, Tesla saw the advent of the piston engine as a way to make a difference in the world. He invented a turbine-style engine of his own that used combustion to rotate discs.
His engine's fuel efficiency was as high as 90 percent, a major achievement given that this is close to some modern turbines' efficiency.
The Radio
Tesla realised he could use coils to send and receive strong radio signals, tuning them to echo at the same frequency. He was able to send a signal 50 miles from his lab, to West Point, New York, by early 1895. But the fire ruined his work in Tesla's lab. A young Italian experimenter named Guglielmo Marconi, who worked in England took out his first wireless telegraphy patent while he was rebuilding. He used a Tesla oscillator to broadcast the signals across the English Channel when Marconi later set up long-distance demonstrations
The Niagara Falls Transformer House
Thomas Edison was the first choice when it came to determining what company would build a power generator at Niagara Falls. The Niagara Falls commission, however, went with Tesla's alternating current power after evaluating Tesla's work for Westinghouse Electric.
Tesla's system, despite reservations, operated well and became a hydroelectric power standard.
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