How Transformers Work – Stephen Iero

A transformer is a device that takes electricity of one voltage and converts it into a different voltage.  A transformer changes voltage from low to high or high to low, this procedure is referred to as Stepping.  AC (alternating current) is the only type of current that can use the transformer because back then there was no simple way of accomplishing this task.  Since the power is at such high voltage then it can be easily transported over long distances with little voltage drop along the way.  Before the electricity would be able to be used the voltage would have to be dropped for commercial and household use.

The first transformer was created by Faraday and his had two wires wrapped around an iron bar.  One of the wires was an input and the other was an output, each of these wires completed a circuit back to the iron bar.  The AC current was switched to go back and forth in order to create a magnetic field.  This created magnetic field steps up or down the voltage in the wrapped wires.

How Transformers Work – David G

Transformers are a device that is used to up the voltage to be sent over long distances. In order to send current a longer distance, the voltage in the wire needs to be ramped up. Voltage is to wires as water pressure is to pipes. The more water pressure there is behind the water in the pipe the more that will fit through it, and the futher it will go. Alternating current uses these transformers to up their voltage to 125,000-725,000 volts. This allows the electricity to be sent over a very large distance. Direct current can not use transformers, and therefor is limited to a short distance of travel, because the voltage acts the same way as a very small amount of water pressure would. Since the voltage in DC is limited to 110-120 volts, the electricity can only be sent so far.

A simple transformer works by having two wires wrapped around an iron core. There is one input wire, and one output wire. On each side of the transformer the wires complete a circuit and come straight back to the transformer. As the system is working with alternating current, the electrical flow through the wires cycles back and forth very quickly. This cycling of power, creates a magnetic field through the iron core. This magnetic field then creates the power in the other coil of wire. If the input wire has more coils than the output wire, the voltage will be stepped up. If the input wire has less coils than the output wire, the voltage will be stepped up.

How Transformers Work – Alexander Skinner

The Transformer is used in an AC (alternating current) system as a “secondary generator”.  The first transformer was created by Michael Faraday. The AC system uses very high voltages unlike the DC (direct current) system, and therefore must have a device that will lower those voltages to usable levels.  The Transformer steps in and lowers the voltages in the AC system in order to power small devices such as an individual incandescant light bulb.  The Transformer has a primary, and a secondary in it.  The primary is a copper wire that is fed electric current.  The electric current fed through the primary creates a magnetic field. The secondary is a copper wire that intercepts the primary’s field of force.  When the primary and the secondary interact, self-induction occurs. When the primary and the secondary are coupled just right a very high self-induction will occur.  At the time of Michael Faraday’s ground breaking transformer invention, no one quite understood how and why to couple the primary and secondary perfectly.  It took a man like George Westinghouse to realize the geneous of the transformer.  Westinghouse realized that the transformer could potentially revelutionize the world. As it turns out, Westinghouse was right.  The transformer plays a key role in the AC system and Michael Faraday invented one of the greatest electrical inventions in history.

How Transformers Work – Jhonny E.

Originally invented by Michael Faraday, the first transformer used two copper wires that interacted with each other. The “primary” wire created a magnetic filed while it was being fed an electric current. The “secondary” is a wire that intercepts the primary wire’s field of force. For both wires to work perfectly, they needed to be coupled correctly to create high self-induction. But many people at the time did not understand the potential for the transformer at the time. Transformers are a means of stepping down the voltage on a high supply of voltage. Mostly used in AC systems, Westinghouse would start to use the transformer so that he would be able to send rather high voltages over long distances and transformers would bring down the voltages so that they would be used in house-hold appliances and mostly light-bulbs. Westinghouse needed a new design for the transformer that could be more cheaply produced and after examining the Gaurlard-Gibbs generator, he would use the H shape plate inside, and wound the primary and secondary copper wires to produce and I shape plate and the first modern transformer.

Transformers- Laurence B.

Transformer were originally invented by Michael Faraday, long before Westinghouse began to work with them. Faraday took a soft piece of iron bar and wrapped a piece of insulated wire around it, the primary, then he wrapped a second insulated wire around the first. The result was a difference in voltage of the two wires. Depending on how many times the wire was wrapped around the iron. Many coils would step the voltage up, few coils would step the voltage down. This is the basic idea of a transformer. The plant where the electricity is created needs to push out high amounts of power so that it will reach whatever distance it needs. The issue lies in that the high power that the plant puts out, is too much for charging our iPods and running our coffee pots. So the transformers job is to transform the high voltage, high power energy that the plant gives off, into lower voltage power that is safe for our coffee pots and iPods.

A metaphor for this is a group project. The teacher (power plant) sends out a large assignment that has to be completed, the large assignment is received by the group of students (step-down transformer), and then broken down into smaller, more feasible tasks. One student (device) could not handle the huge amount of work (power) alone, and so it is stepped down and distributed into pieces. This way, one student does not get an overload and combust, and the teacher still gets the completed assignments.

How Transformers Work-Keya Z.

Transformers were first known as a “secondary generator”. It steps down higher AC voltages to those low enough to run individual incandescent lights. It was a new way to economically transfer electricity not just to individual light bulbs, but over long distances. The transformer ought to be able to step down the high-voltage AC safely before it entered the factory or office building or house. The first transformer was created by Michael Faraday. In a transformer, the “primary” is the copper wire that is fed electric current, generating a magnetic field. the “secondary” is the copper wire that intercepts the primary’s field of force. The two interact, self-inducing vltage. In an effective transformer, the two coils of cpper wire must be coupled perfectly to create high self-induction. Then a whole new design emerged that could be cheaply produced by machines: H-shaped iron plates that could be machine stamped now formed the core. The horinzontal part of the H would pass through the copper wire coils that could be machine wound and would serve as the primary and secondary. The ends were closed by means of I-shaped plates.

How Transformers Work – Rafael Reynoso

Transformers are devices that change the voltage, pressure that drives electric currents, in an alternating current system. These are important if you want to distribute electricity over long distances. The transformer takes the electricity from a generator and “steps” it up to a high voltage, which can travel long distances. Where it is needed, a transformer is use to “step” down the high voltage to a usable voltage. In reality, it may be stepped up or stepped down a couple depending on how high the voltage is that you are working with. The way these transformers work is through electric self-induction. Electric self-induction is a consequence of a magnetic field in one circuit which may “induce” a current in a nearby circuit. In transformers two coils of copper wire are used to create the self-induction. If the number of coils in the first coil is less than the number of coils in the coil that is being “induced” then the voltage is going to increase as the difference in the number of coils increases. The opposite goes for lowering the voltage; the more coils there in the primary coil than the secondary coil, the lower the voltage in the secondary coil will be.

14b-Westinghouse

In class on Wed Oct 22nd, each group will split up and write an analysis of the strenths and weaknesses of the two intro paragraphs on the Wiki as well as propose revisions.

If you handed in the final copy of your Tesla paper on Mon, go to the assignment for next Wed (10-29) on the syllabus and/or Wiki and do reading and research on Westinghouse’s most important contributions and post what you have learned to the blog (checking Westinghouse and your name under categories.

Tesla Master of Lightening – Eric B

The documentary Tesla Master of Lightening was a very interesting and informative movie. It explained how Tesla grew up with the dream of going to a good school to study electricity and how he wanted to eventually harness the power of the Niagra Falls and use it to generate electricity. His dreams would eventually turn to reality as grew into one of the most famous inventors of all time.

Tesla came to America to work for the great Thomas Edison in hopes that they would be able to accomplish great things together. He eventually came up with the AC motor and knew that it would be much more efficient than DC. But, Edison was convinced that DC was much better; this dispute between the two great inventors led to Tesla’s departure from Edison Electric and he went on to open his own labs so he could perfect his AC motor. Once his AC motor was complete, the advantages of AC over DC became apparent to many people. One them was George Westinghouse who decided to buy all of Tesla’s patents and use them for his company.

Tesla went on to complete many more great inventions. One of them was the first radio/remote controlled device, which he tried to sell to the US Navy. This would not be the only device he tried to sell to the government. In his later years he continued experimenting with transferring electricity wirelessly and developed a device that would lead to the first the radio. He soon began developing more theories of the wireless tranfer of electricity, but he was unable to make any of them work. Then Tesla began developing a something that he thought would end wars by allowing all countries, weak and strong, to defend themselves; a “death ray”. This was another vision of Tesla’s that was never fufilled. He began to look like just another crazy old man in the eye of the public and eventually died in poverty.

Tesla Master of Lightning- Nicole O.

The documentary ,Tesla the Master of Lightning, was informative and detailed.  Tesla major contribution to society was the development of  alternating current. Tesla was not as well-known as Edison. Tesla was smart but his talent was in the art of imaging.  Tesla always developed fictional ideas. His was sure that his mowt of his dreams can turn into reality no matter how outrageous the dreams maybe. One of Tesla’s dream was to make the world wireless, which seemed crazy at the time but today we have a lot of operating devices that are wirless. However, Tesla also wanted to create a lazer beam device for attacks, which to this day has not been worked out. This idea of Tesla’s seemed to animated for society. Some of Tesla’ invention were said not to be the first so he did not get credited, for example the radio.

Edison and Tesla shared things in common. They both allowed there work become their first priority and passion. They were both interested in electricity.  The two inventors also had characteristics that set them apart form one another. Tesla liked to work alone and Edison worked with a group f scientist and craftsmen. Tesla did not have family and Edison did (although he neglected them).