2-16-18

Westinghouse first focused on the Chicago World's Fair, called the World's Columbian Exposition
he bid so low on the contract to provide electricity to the whole fair that he had to simplify his system and use mostly single phase AC
Telsa had his own exhibit with his more advanced motors
Tesla needs a reputation as an inventor and his name to be in the press so that people will invest in his new invention
he wants to fulfill his dream of power from Niagara Falls even if he doesn't make money off it

the electric lighting gave people a feeling of awe about what new technology was going to be able to do

much more here on Niagara Falls

what were the choices at Niagara Falls

• how to get power to the city of Buffalo?
• there is so much power available you need to use it in factories also
• one possibility--use a canal and have each factory have its own waterpower system
• but the New York State reservation protected the area near the falls where you would want to build factories
• so it becomes worth figuring out how to put the factories in Buffalo
• how to transmit the power to Buffalo? lots of possibilities
• the company developing the system wanted to play Edison and Westinghouse and European companies off against each other
• Tesla persuades them to go with the Westinghouse polyphase system for the generating part
  

Tesla worked closely with the Westinghouse company because he wanted his equipment used even though he no longer got anything from the patents
the company developing Niagara was not easy to convince
in the end Tesla played a key role in Westinghouse getting the contract for the generators at Niagara
showing the advantage of polyphase for moving electricity longer distances, initially to the city of Buffalo
Anderson SC

Meanwhile Tesla was working on wireless lighting

• in an 1893 lecture he spoke of transmitting signals (ie. radio) or power without wires
• he was at this point thinking of transmitting through the earth rather than electromagnetic waves, though his circuit is an oscillating electromagnetic field in one direction and through the earth for the return
• he needs his alternating/oscillating field or waves to be very even, very constant in frequency
• he sets out to figure out ways to make the oscillations more even
  
• his high frequency generator did not run at an even enough frequency so he invented another design he called an oscillator
• he also tried a mechanical oscillator which he discovered would relieve constipation and cause the building to vibrate dangerously
• he needs very even electrical oscillations because because he is picking them up by a machine tuned to resonate with that frequency
• resonance also happens with mechanical vibrations: galloping gertie
  
• gradually he is working his way up to being able to transmit more power
• and showing how to use it with many kinds of lamps