If Nikola Tesla ideas would have been the one behind the electrical revolution rather than those of Edison how would this change the world we live in. Assuming that Thomas Alva Edison also exists but the world doesn't give him much of a credit as much as it gives to Nikola Tesla
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
6
asked Jul 19, 2016 at 15:41
-
$\begingroup$ Tesla was a genius, no doubt about it, but some of his claims remain unsubstantiated. For example, transmitting electricity wirelessly to devices. Furthermore, he wasn't psychologically stable, and was quite insane when he passed away. Edison, for all his sins (and they are numerous), was a titan of industry who helped usher in a new age. $\endgroup$– AndreiROMCommented Jul 19, 2016 at 15:43
-
$\begingroup$ That being said, this question is very broad, and completely opinion based because we really have no idea how things might have turned out. Any answer will be completely subjective, and just as valid as the next. Since no good way to pick "the best" answer can exist, the question is out of scope for WB SE. For more information, please read up on our Risk Factors $\endgroup$– AndreiROMCommented Jul 19, 2016 at 15:46
-
$\begingroup$ As far as I'm aware most of his practical ideas have been implemented. He also had some wild and wonderful ideas that wouldn't really work in practice. $\endgroup$– SeparatrixCommented Jul 19, 2016 at 16:03
-
$\begingroup$ @AndreiROM Would this question work if it were an analysis of his theories based on what we know of modern science? $\endgroup$– JamesCommented Jul 19, 2016 at 16:41
-
$\begingroup$ @James - I think the question has mostly economic and industrial implications, not necessarily technological ones. Tesla was for providing people with free electricity, freely sharing his knowledge, etc. Edison was the ultimate capitalist. If Tesla had had free reign he might invent some cooler gadgets, sure, but mostly he would have implemented free power generation for the masses, IMO. $\endgroup$– AndreiROMCommented Jul 19, 2016 at 17:09
|
Show 1 more comment
2 Answers
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
1
We need to actually examine the differences between the two aforementioned inventors and discuss their individual accomplishments.
Edison
Thomas Edison was more of a businessman than an inventor (though he was definitely both). By the end of his life Edison had filed over 2000 patents. A keen business sense allowed him to make a pretty penny on many of them and his legacy continues to this day in the form of electrical equipment like the light bulb. Edison's best invention (in my humble opinion) was not any trinket but was instead his method for inventing. Much as Henry Ford invented the assembly line for automobiles, Edison invented the assembly line for inventions. With an army of engineers and innovators at his disposal he could farm out ideas en masse, much as modern think takes and development firms do today. Edison invented modern innovation, if you will.
Tesla
Nikola Tesla was arguably the smarter of the two men, and possibly a world-class genius, but with his intellect came a wide streak of... eccentricity. The man had some truly wild ideas, especially in his later life, and he did not have as keen an eye for business or finance as did Edison. As a result, what practical ideas Tesla did have were often doomed from the beginning by financial issues (like the Niagara Falls hydroelectric plant). That being said, many of Tesla's practical ideas did make their way into the marketplace simply because they were indeed more practical than their competing ideas. The quintessential example is the War of the Currents, where Edison pushed for simpler, but less efficient Direct Current to power municipal power grids, while Tesla pushed for the more complicated but more efficient Alternating Current instead. Tesla's idea took root and all modern power grids use Alternating Current.
It should also be noted that Tesla also held many patents (some 300). He famously claimed that without his patents the Radio would never have been developed by Marconi (though this is disputed). To be sure, however, Tesla's work has left a profound effect on the world wherever his ideas made practical sense.
Legacy
Edison largely overshadows Tesla in the eye of history, and for good reason. Edison may not have been as intelligent as Tesla, but one might argue he was far wiser than the Serbian Intellectual, and he was far more practical at any rate. Tesla's genius was applied in strange ways, and most of Tesla's wild ideas were dismissed as just what they were. That being said, Tesla's theories were quite important to the development of modern science, and AC power is used all over the world. The ideas of Edison that were not very practical (concrete houses) or had no longevity (phonographs) were dismissed or rendered obsolete.
In the end, history didn't so much "ignore" Tesla in favor or Edison as it just went with what made the most sense. It should also be noted that Edison and Tesla were not alone in their industry. Hundreds of engineers and inventors contributed to the development of electrical power, and few of them are remembered by history. This does not mean, however, that their legacy is gone. History may not remember their names, but history will always remember those who contributed meaningfully to the world, just as it remembers Edison and Tesla for the very same.
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
2
Considering one of the projects that he wanted to but never could realize, nowadays we might all have free wireless electricity (althought we should consider that someone surely would try to stop this). And that means a lot of things. We woudln't need all those cables entanglements and poor people would afford all the electricity they need.
As a consequence of this all human societies would experience a big change, one small example can be that there would be no need anymore to use batteries as every device can be powered wirelessly on the go. No more phones dying (did you think about those poor phones dying?).
-
1$\begingroup$ Tesla's designs for "free wireless electricity" would never have worked. Transmission of electricity through the air is extremely inefficient and the power requirements and maintenance requirements of such a device are not cost effective. These are the reasons the idea never took root. Even today people have tried to produce wireless electrical transmission plants, but they just don't work well. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 19, 2016 at 15:56
-
1$\begingroup$ This is a rather poorly researched answer. Also, who ever said that wireless electricity would be free? Maybe everyone would get taxed for it. Your explanation of how it would change society is very superficial, and doesn't take too many variables into consideration. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 19, 2016 at 15:58