Our class was lucky enough this week to be treated to a presentation by Suffolk’s resident lightning enthusiast, Mr. Tom Vales. In a half hour, Mr. Vales showed our class a number of awesome gadgets that really got our mental motors running.
First, Mr. Vales showed us a number of examples of motors that run without fossil fuels. As he noted, there are many more ways than just burning coal and oil to produce energy. Some of the motors we witnessed were pretty old inventions – some dating back to the 1800s. The fist one he highlighted for us was a Peltier junction: a device that ran a small motor off the energy produced from a hot cup of water and a cold cup of water. To think that we can harness the energy of heat was a novel idea to me, as it is the most chaotic form of energy, but it is energy nonetheless. According to Tom, the energy produced is pretty minimal and this type of motor would probably never be able to power anything big, but he mentioned that it is useful for smaller tasks, such as beverage coolers and other small things inside of cars, etc. The next contraption, called a Stirling motor, was originally used as a substitute for steam engines that had an unfortunate tendency towards explosions. Running off nothing but hot water vapor that turned its pistons, the motor is apparently still used in submarines, valued for its quiet, undetectable energy production.
Next, we got to see a Mendocino motor – named after its birthplace in Mendocino, California. This motor ran using electromagnetism, but especially utilized magnetics to create a free-spinning turbine that can turn without even touching the magnets that power it. Mr. Vales showed us how his was powered by light, and when he flipped the switch, the motor began to turn like magic. Last, we got to see a demonstration of the energy that makes your barbecue lighter work: bet you didn’t know you were using the Piezo effect every time you snap your lighter. This effect produces energy by rubbing a metal against quartz or some other kind of rock, producing a spark that ignites the gas within the lighter. Very enLIGHTening.
I thought all of this was very interesting, but what Mr. Vales did next was truly “shocking.” He told us a great deal about Nikola Tesla, the famous inventor. The contraption he’d been hiding for last turned out to be a classic Tesla coil machine. This machine, when turned on, ran electricity through a series of tightly wound copper coils, known as “Tesla coils.” At the top of the machine, where a small metal point peeked out, an electric current about 6 inches in length shot out and made a loud crackling sound like a tiny bolt of lightning. In this way, Tom demonstrated how Tesla was able to power Niagara Falls without wires. He did some very cool stuff with the bolt afterwards, showing how different materials reacted to being electrified. He held tubes up to the bolt that contained gases that were illuminated with neon colors when touched by the bolt. He also showed us some pictures of his inventions at an annual Tesla-fest in NY, where mad scientists from all over gather to show off their gargantuan displays of lightning. The whole presentation was extremely entertaining and highly educational, but it got me really interested in the subject of Tesla and his lightning machines.
Coincidentally, as I was riding the T home from class and reviewing my notes, a passenger next to me noticed and started talking to me about Tesla – as it turns out, there’s Tesla-freaks everywhere! Count me in for the next demonstration Mr. Vales gives.