Experiments with Alternate Currents of High Potential and High Frequency: A Lecture Delivered before the Institution of Electrical Engineers, LondonTesla, Nikola
Science
Experiments with Alternate Currents of High Potential and High Frequency: A Lecture Delivered before the Institution of Electrical Engineers, London
Tesla, Nikola
Electric currents, Alternating; Electric discharges; Incandescent lamps; Telegraph, Wireless
Instead of using the fan in this experiment, we may use the "electric"
radiometer with similar effect. But in this case it will be found that
the vanes will rotate only at high exhaustion or at ordinary
pressures; they will not rotate at moderate pressures, when the air is
highly conducting. This curious observation was made conjointly by
Professor Crookes and myself. I attribute the result to the high
conductivity of the air, the molecules of which then do not act as
independent carriers of electric charges, but act all together as a
single conducting body. In such case, of course, if there is any
repulsion at all of the molecules from the vanes, it must be very
small. It is possible, however, that the result is in part due to the
fact that the greater part of the discharge passes from the leading-in
wire through the highly conducting gas, instead of passing off from
the conducting vanes.
In trying the preceding experiment with the electric radiometer the
potential should not exceed a certain limit, as then the electrostatic
attraction between the vanes and the glass of the bulb may be so great
as to stop the rotation.
A most curious feature of alternate currents of high frequencies and
potentials is that they enable us to perform many experiments by the
use of one wire only. In many respects this feature is of great
interest.
In a type of alternate current motor invented by me some years ago I
produced rotation by inducing, by means of a single alternating
current passed through a motor circuit, in the mass or other circuits
of the motor, secondary currents, which, jointly with the primary or
inducing current, created a moving field of force. A simple but crude
form of such a motor is obtained by winding upon an iron core a
primary, and close to it a secondary coil, joining the ends of the
latter and placing a freely movable metal disc within the influence of
the field produced by both. The iron core is employed for obvious
reasons, but it is not essential to the operation. To improve the
motor, the iron core is made to encircle the armature. Again to
improve, the secondary coil is made to overlap partly the primary, so
that it cannot free itself from a strong inductive action of the
latter, repel its lines as it may. Once more to improve, the proper
difference of phase is obtained between the primary and secondary
currents by a condenser, self-induction, resistance or equivalent
windings.
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