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Aug 25, 20203 min read

The War Of Currents

Updated: Aug 20, 2021

By Khushi Chaudhry

Nicola Tesla vs. Thomas Edison

In 1893, 25.8 million people attended the World’s Columbian Fair in Chicago, celebrating the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ voyage to America. In an atmosphere of excitement and novelty, a dazzling new wonder was presented in America for the first time – electricity.

The Edison Electric Lamp company had proposed $554,000 for using their direct current concept to light the Chicago World Fair. George Washington and Tesla bid $399,000 for their alternating current patent to do the same. What do you think , can money decide a vision for the future? Who do you think won the contract – Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, or the infamous Tesla?

Before we dive into the war of currents, let’s take a look at some fundamental concepts. Potential difference between metal wires causes electrons to be pushed from the negative terminal to the positive terminal of a battery in one direction only. This phenomenon is known as direct current (DC). However, if fossil fuels are used in place of a battery, we see a difference. When fossil fuels are used, the potential chemical energy stored in them converts to heat energy which is then converted by a generator into electrical energy. In the generator, the heat energy is used to spin a shaft that induces current in a coil using the concept of mutual electromagnetic induction and electromagnetic force. When the shaft rotates, the polarity of current repeatedly shifts from positive to negative many times per second, thus alternating. This is the main concept behind alternating current technology.

The Triggering Truth… Edison had hired Tesla amongst others to develop an incandescent lighting system. In this era, electricity wasn’t easily available at cheap rates and the only way to transmit electricity was using DC generators. However, DC generators could only transmit electricity over a limited range of 1-2 kilometres and suffered loss of large amounts of energy during its transmission, implying higher costs. To solve this, Tesla suggested the concept of a generator based on alternating current, but Edison rejected it, calling the idea “impractical.” It is thought that this statement stemmed from a sense of ego as Edison did not want to approve a technology that would rival his own DC current concept. Tesla left the Edison Light company out of frustration and joined the investors over at the “Westinghouse Electric Company”.

The Final Battle Tesla used his knowledge to develop a generator based on alternating current; with this, he accomplished the goal of transmitting electricity over large distances at cheaper costs. With a vision for a bright future, Tesla won over investors to light up the cities of the United States with his AC current technology. But this wasn’t the happy ending he wanted. Edison realized that people were going against him so he released a fake piece of information that AC technology was not safe to use and tried to prove it by publicly electrocuting animals, such as dogs. Tesla did not give up and demonstrated the safety of the Tesla coil. Technical faculties like electrical engineers and other scientists carried out various experiments and proved that Tesla’s development was safe and could be installed on a large scale basis. Remember the World’s Columbian Exposition? In the end, Tesla won the bid and used AC power to light the fair in 1893 and Chicago came to be known as ‘The City of Lights”.

Finally, Tesla won and Edison lost, showing us that intelligence and hard work can defeat ego and greed. Just remember, like Nicola Tesla, to never give up. “Let the future tell the truth, and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments. The present is theirs; the future, for which I have really worked, is mine.”-Nicola Tesla

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