Re: [OT] British vs. American English
2011/10/3 Miles Fidelman <mfidelman@meetinghouse.net>:
> Richard wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Long distances need high voltage and AC. I suspect Nikola Tesla was a
>>>> Roma from Jugoslavia, since my Gypsy friends, Roma from Jugoslavia,
>>>> know his name and his profession and claim that he was a Roma. Dunno,
>>>> but since their general knowledge isn't profound, there must be a
>>>> reason that they especially know Tesla. I believe that three-phase AC
>>>> could have to do with Siemens, I've got no idea what role was played
>>>> by George Westinghouse. I won't read the Wiki.
>>>>
>> I suggest you all check on the high voltage feed from Canada in to the New
>> York region. 0Hz
>
> As I recall, Edison was busily building DC-based electric systems, while
> Westinghouse was building AC systems modelled after systems being deployed
> in Europe. Tesla invented and held some fundamental patents related to AC
> power and went to work for Westinghouse for a while. Meanwhile Siemens was
> one of the early and big players in Europe, starting out building telegraph
> lines.
>
> The benefits of AC mostly come from being able to step-up and step-down
> voltages through transformers (transformers don't work with DC) - it's what
> makes long-distance transmission feasible (high voltage translates to low
> current and low resistive losses). Long-haul DC keeps threatening to make a
> comeback in the form of superconducting transmission lines (an alternate way
> to minimize resistive losses) - but that begs the question of how to keep
> everything cold.
>
> Interestingly, when I was a kid, we inherited a relatively old B&W TV set
> from my grandmother. The specs said explicitly "110 volts AC/DC" - there
> were parts of NYC that were wired with DC, fairly late into the 1930s and
> maybe the 40s (I had to check, the first TV stations went on the air around
> 1928).
>
> Miles Fidelman
Check this one (and few other associated with it):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-voltage_direct_current
The problem with DC at times of Tesla/Edison was the fact that there
was/is no efficient way to change voltage, while for AC it was quite
easy for many years already.
darkestkhan
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jid: darkestkhan@gmail.com
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