Lineman’s Death – Robert S.

To the Editor:

Unfortunately, a man was recently executed in a gruesome way via high voltage wires. This was a terrible accident, and could have been prevented with more training, as one should never grab on to more than one wire at once. While grabbing onto a while can be a natural reaction in a situation where one is being shocked, this action can have fatal results. Additionally, had he followed proper safety procedures that include insulating gloves and boots, this accident likely wouldn’t have happened.

However, even with this accident and more that will inevitably follow, as with any new technology, there is no reason whatsoever to ban AC or high voltage systems. Accidents happen in every industry; this is unavoidable and a cost of developing new and better technologies. Over 100 people were killed last year in vehicular accidents, yet the death of someone due to these accidents doesn’t invoke nearly the same outcry. People have accepted that vehicles have a risk, and the same is true for electricity. In both cases, the benefits outweigh the potential risk, and there has been no convincing argument as to why high voltage transmission lines should be banned.

-Lord Fairfax

Edison: P. 625-635
http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/moa-cgi?notisid=ABQ7578-0149-75

Condescending to public

P. 626 – Four classification of power/voltage

P. 630
— Investment costs as a reason why high voltage is used
— Suggests that more plants be built if low voltage DC isn’t enough to supply the outskirts
— Claims that AC plants are built on the outskirts where land is cheap and need to use high voltages to push the power into the city
—- Efficient use of land

P. 631 – Discussion of how the AC system works

P. 632
— Edison suggests that DC be limited to 600 or 700 volts; does not provide an AC range as it’s unsafe no matter what
— Edison strongly against AC

P. 632 – “My personal desire would be to prohibit entirely the use of alternating currents. They are as unnecessary as they are dangerous.”

P. 634 – “When the authorities require electrical pressure to be kept within the limits of safety, and when there is an efficient corps of inspectors, as in the case of boilers, to see that rules adopted are carried out, the security which the public demand will be obtained; but until then nothing better can be looked for than a multiplication of the casualties of the past few months.”

Westinghouse: P. 653-665
http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/moa-cgi?notisid=ABQ7578-0149-80

P. 653 – “Electricity is one manifestation of power. It represents a form of mechanical energy capable of being utilized for innumerable purposes. Indeed, were it a question of prohibiting the use not merely of electricity, but of all other things dangerous to life, we would no longer have fires to warm us or light to enable us to see, and, in fact, would be deprived of most of the necessaries and comforts of existence. As has been the case with the utilization of all other forms of energy, the demand for the most economical methods will ultimately prevail, provided these can be made safe, as they most certainly can, by the exercise of proper precautions.” (Emphasis mine)

P. 654 – “Thousands of persons have large pecuniary interests at stake, and, as might be expected, many of them view this great subject solely from the stand-point of self-interest.”

P. 654, cont – Discussion of the electrical rivalries

P. 655 – Edison wants to beat his enemies

P. 657 – Cooking beef with power

P. 659 – Safety of transformers

P. 600 – Insulation, safety, etc

P. 661 – Other tech is also dangerous

P. – Source – AC in houses is isolated due to transformers

Useful Pages in Jonnes:

P. 152 – WARNING! booklet

P. 168 – Safety of AC power plants vs DC power plants

P. 177 – Westinghouse defending AC used for electrocution

P. 199 – Execution details

P. 200-201 – Edison / Westinghouse exchange

Edison Electrocution – Robert S.

I believe Edison’s position on electrocution was unethical, as he only changed his position to discredit the AC system as “safe”. Initially, Edison strongly opposed capital punishment. However, about a month later, Edison suggested to Dr. Southwick, who was looking for a better way to execute people, that alternating current would be the ideal way to execute a person. This was most likely an attempt to discredit AC and promote his own system as the safer of the two.

Edison, Brown and Electrocution – Robert S.

Edison’s and Brown’s public demonstration of the safety of AC and DC systems was poorly executed and ethically questionable. While tests to determine the safety of both systems were necessary (and negligent to not know how safe each system was), a public demonstration to reporters was not the correct way. A much more appropriate test would have involved far more scientific testing on animals, away from reporters and anyone else who didn’t need to be present for the testing. Then, the results could be presented in a condensed version, rather than subjecting everyone to the botched execution.

The separation of science and reporters is necessary at times, and this experiment is no exception. The press doesn’t need to know everything that happens during the testing; however, leaving out anything major can lead to more questioning of the results. Additionally, the separation removed the requirement to keep the audience ‘entertained’ during the testing, allowing for far more precision and a slower pace if necessary. Finally, the separation prevents the (gruesome, in this case) testing from turning into a public spectacle.

Edit: Added why I believe the seperation between science and reporters is necessary.

Tesla and AC Motor – Robert S.

Tesla’s speech to the American Instutite of Electrical Engineers was primarily a discussion of his AC motor in order to make himself and his invention known in the field. Tesla not only discussed his AC motor and it’s advantages over DC motors, but he also demonstrated his motor. Additionally, Tesla explained why all the existing motors were “wrong”, as his AC polyphase motor fixed all the issues of the current generation of motors. Additionally, Tesla publically defended his posisition as developing a uniquie AC motor, and that his design, while similar to Professor Thomson’s, didn’t use a commutator, and thus wasn’t the same.

Tesla’s polyphase motor was truly unique, and worked differently from any other motor available at the time. Prior to Tesla’s motor, all motors used commutators, which was a device that supplied power to the rotating magnets inside the motor. The AC polyphase motor, however, used two out of sync AC currents to provide power to the motor, bypassing the need for a commutator and metal brushes that wore out over time.

How Transformers Work – Robert S

Transformers are relatively simple devices, made up of nothing more than some wire and a piece of iron. However, this seemingly simple device makes AC practical for the distribution of power over vast distances.

A transformer is made of two coils of insulated wire, wrapped around a piece of iron. The ratio of the amount of wire used in each coil determines how much the voltage will be raised or lowered in the transformer. If the input coil has fewer coils than the output coil, then the output voltage will be higher but the current will be lower. Likewise, if the input coil has more turns than the output coil, the output voltage will be lower.

Transformers only work with AC due to the fact that AC changes polarity 120 (60Hz -> 60 positive peaks + 60 negative peaks) times a second. During each reversal, a magnetic field is created inside the transformer, which is picked up by the output, or secondary, coil. Without the changing magnetic field, current would only be generated for a split second when the transformer was initially powered on.

Edit: Spell checking is good.

Edison The Man – Robert S

In the movie Edison The Man, Edison is portrayed as a man who loves inventing and solving problems, which generally described how acted Edison was in real life. However, in the movie, time seemed to go far faster than in Jonnes’ book; that is, what happened in between two scenes in the move might have taken weeks or months in reality.

Additionally in the movie, Edison’s discoveries are shown as a series of successes and inventions. This wasn’t the case in reality; instead many weeks or months would go by involving planning and testing before there was a breakthrough.

With the above being said, the movie was still interesting and enjoyable, and provided a decent, though not fully accurate, portrayal of Edison.

Edison – Robert S

“How did Edison’s understanding of Ohm’s law help effect the design of the electric light?”

Edison’s understanding of Ohm’s law greatly helped him in his design of the electric light. Edison knew that a low-resistance filament would draw more current than a high-resistance filament, thus putting a greater strain on the electric network. This strain would require thicker copper wires to fix, and Edison wanted to spend as little possible on copper wire due to it’s high cost.

Without Edison’s understanding, his electrical system would have been far more costly and required even greater advancements in technology to make his system a reality. By understanding that a highly resistant light bulb would use the least amount of current and still produce light, Edison was able to create the first “practical” light bulb suitable for mass consumption.

Engineering Specialties – Robert S

I want to be an electrical engineer because I enjoy the hands-on aspect of designing electronics and then building them. Additionally, I’d like to better understand how electrical devices are designed, what makes them work, and how to build something better.

There are numerous opportunities with an EE degree. More and more devices are incorporating electronics, and EEs are needed to design increasingly smaller and more powerful devices. Today, my phone is many more times more powerful than my computer was 10 years ago – something that’s possible due to continual improvements in electronics. Additionally, another area where EEs are needed are in cryptography. Specially designed chips (like FPGAs – Field Programmable Gate Arrays, a form of programmable micro controller) are far more efficient in encrypting and decrypting than “generic” chips like the processors found in computers. EEs are needed to figure out how to better implement cryptography in hardware, as well as how to crack existing encryption even faster.

In order to be successful, I will need to be able to communicate what’s in my mind to something that other people can understand. Without that skill, my ideas are useless to anyone but me, and I’m meerly a guy who knows about electronics. I will also need to be able to motivate myself to work on a project that’s in my head, rather than thinking about it and then forgetting it. This is my biggest weakness, but is something that I will need to overcome while in college to do well in a job.

Electrical engineers have virtually unlimited job oppertunities, as it seems as if everything is incorporating electronics in some way. Strong communication skills are needed, however, to take ideas in one’s mind and turn them into a real product or concept. Without this and other necessary skills, like the ability to motivate one’s self to work on a project, one will be just someone who knows electronics rather than a successful electrical engineer.

Edison: Miracle of Light – Robert S.

I enjoyed the documentary on Edison. It seemed to go over his life as an inventor quite well, and gave me a better idea of the role he played in the electrification of the United States. I was impressed by his dedication – he had the idea of electrifying all of the US, and he stuck with it, even when his progress was severely delayed or when no one else was willing to back him. Few people would be willing to take such huge risks, and in this case the payoff was clearly worth the risk.

Edison wore all four hats while inventing. However, the hat he wore the least was that of the judge. He refused to consider AC to be a viable solution, and this decision ultimately caused him to lose the war between AC and DC for the electrification of the US. AC was clearly the better system, but his own ego prevented him from accepting this fact.

The material in the video was well presented, however, I would have liked it to be more technical, like stating how many volts the original system ran on so I could compare it with today’s modern electrical system. Other than that, I enjoyed the video and it sets a good stage for learning more about Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and everyone else that was involved in the electrification of the US.

Self Evaluation – Robert S

I “wear” numerous hats throughout my life, depending on what task I’m doing or what problem I’m trying to solve. Four hats that I wear, or roles that I take on, while problem solving are those of an explorer, artist, judge, and warrior. Each role has different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to problem solving, and a good problem solver can fit into all four roles, plus whatever else the person needs to be.

My strongest role is that of the explorer. I love finding out about new technologies or products, and can spend hours learning as much as I can about whatever is holding my interest at the moment. This is closely related to the role of the artist, as often I take on this role while exploring. If I find something new, the artist part of me will start analyzing it, and give the explorer part of me more items to research. The role of the judge also plays a part in these two roles, as I also constantly think about the feasibility of ideas – if something doesn’t seem like it will work, the explorer part of me has to go back and either find out why it wouldn’t work or find a way to make it work.

My weakest role is that of the warrior. I have hundreds of ideas and projects in my head, but I rarely implement them. For me, the fun is figuring out how to make an idea work; once it’s designed the challenge isn’t nearly as much fun. Additionally, I lack the resources to build most of my projects, so I have a tendency to design something and then never trying to complete it. This is a weakness that I hope to fix while in college, as a plan is just a plan until it’s actually implemented.

The explorer, artist, and judge are my three strongest roles as a problem solver, and the warrior is my weakest. I hope to become a stronger “warrior” over the next four years, as I’ll have the resources to implement whatever the explorer, artist, and judge parts of me create.