War of Currents

By Roxana Gonzalez Perez & David Garfias Lopez

War of the Currents

Alternating Current

An alternating current is an electric current that periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously over time in contrast to a direct current.

Direct Current

Direct current is the one directional flow of electric charge.

How do they work?An alternating current is produced by an electric generator. As the wire rotates in the magnetic field, the changing strength of the magnetic field through the wire produces a force which drives the electric charges around the wire.In a direct current, the electric charge (current) only flows in one direction.

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Disadvantages of Ac

-It attracts so it shocks people, on the other hand DC repeals so it doesn’t shock.

-It needs a lot more wires than DC

-Has a peak value and is dangerous in that way

Advantages of AC

-Can be transmitted over a long distance.

-Is cheaper than a direct current.

-AC machines don't require much maintenance as they are simpler.

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Disadvantages of DC

-High initial cost

-Can’t operate in explosive and hazardous conditions

-Expensive maintenance due to pressure of commutator and brush gear.

Advantages of DC

-The speed of the motor is easier to change

-Is easier to store than AC

-Provides main electricity for AC

AplicationsThe most common applications of alternating currents are in producing and transporting electricity. DC currents are mostly used in low voltage applications such as charging batteries and automotive applications.

Nikola Tesla: born in July 9, 1856, Smiljan and died in January 7, 1943, New York. American inventor and engineer who discovered and patented the rotating magnetic field, the basis of most alternating-current machinery. briefly worked with Thomas Edison before the two parted ways. He sold several patent rights, including those to his AC machinery, to George Westinghouse.

Thomas Edison: Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and early versions of the electric light bulb, have had a widespread impact on the modern industrialized world. He later established a botanic laboratory in Fort Myers, Florida in collaboration with businessmen Henry Ford and Harvey S.

Nikola Tesla: Tesla's patents has established that he was granted 116 basic patents for his inventions, 119 in the US and 7 in the UK, protecting a total of 125 inventions. The Induction Motor was one of the most important inventions patented of Nikola Tesla.An induction motor uses alternating current and essentially has two parts a stator and a rotor. The stator stays stationary and uses electromagnets to spin the rotor that’s in the middle. Induction motors are noted for being durable, easy to maintain and cheap to run.

Patents

Thomas Edison:Thomas Edison had amassed a record of 1,093 patents: 389 for electric light and power, 195 for the phonograph, 150 for the telegraph, 141 for storage batteries and 34 for the telephone. The Phonograph was one of the most important patented invention. The phonograph was the most common first device for recording and reproducing sounds from the 1870s to the 1880s. In its later forms, it has also been called a gramophone, or, since the 1940s, a record player.

Patents

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Inventions of Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison

1. The Tesla Coil is a transformer used to produce high voltage, low-current, high-frequency alternating-current electricity. (Nikola Tesla)

2. The Radio discovered by him before his laboratory burned down, he used coils to transmit and receive powerful radio signals. (Nikola Tesla)

3. The Magnifying Transmitter was basically an enlarged version of the Tesla Coil. (Nikola Tesla)

1. The Automatic Telegraph was an improvement of Samuel Morse’s Telegraph making it easier to use. (Thomas Edison)

2. The Carbon Telephone Transmitter was an improvement of Alexander Graham Bell’s patented telephone. (Thomas Edison)

(3. The Phonograph was inspired while developing the Carbon Telephone and is basically used to record and play back the telephone messages. (Thomas Edison)

Tesla v.s. EdisonIn 1884 Tesla arrived in the United States with little more than the clothes on his back and a letter of introduction to famed inventor and business mogul Thomas Edison, whose DC-based electrical works were fast becoming the standard in the country. Edison hired Tesla, and the two men were soon working tirelessly alongside each other, making improvements to Edison's inventions. Several months later, the two parted ways due to a conflicting business-scientific relationship, attributed by historians to their incredibly different personalities: While Edison was a power figure who focused on marketing and financial success, Tesla was commercially out-of-touch and somewhat vulnerable.

Thank You!