When Tom Vales visited class the other day he brought a small Tesla coil he used to demonstrate an old idea of Tesla’s, wireless electricity. While running a current through the coil of wire, he demonstrated how the coil produces an electric field that he used to light a fluorescent light bulb. He continued to explain how such a phenomenon as wireless electricity would have worked back in Tesla’s time to provide light in everyone’s home. In that time, if everyone were to run a small Tesla coil in their house somewhere, say the basement for convenience, it could power their lights and give power to older appliances that didn’t use the complex and intricate circuits used by modern appliances that us circuit boards.
If we were to try to use Tesla coils for wireless electricity today there would be a huge drawback that makes this method not viable. The fragile and complex circuits used in most electronics, cell phones and computers for example, would be cooked by the high energy. Anyone who keeps a Tesla coil in their house to power the lights and maybe a refrigerator would not be able to own a computer of any kind or use phones, iPods, etc.
Another use of the Tesla coils that Vales eluded to was the popular trend of using Tesla coils to produce music. By changing the frequency the current oscillates or alternates, the pitch of the buzzing that the Tesla coils give off changes, and can be precisely controlled to make or replicate musical rhythms. A popular tactic when doing this is to use multiple coils since a single one cannot replicate harmony that may exist in a given song.
Good job explaining the uses of the Tesla coil. You made the presentation sound very interesting as well. Also the link at the bottom of the blog helps give the blog something interesting.