Nikola Tesla: and The
Nikola Tesla: and The
Nikola Tesla: and The
A fun and
educational
resource for
middle school
classrooms!
Distributed by the
American Physical Society By Rebecca Thompson-Flagg, Christopher DiScenza, Justin Reeder and Kerry G. Johnson
www.aps.org
Design and illustrations by Kerry G. Johnson
PhysicsQuest: An Overview
PhysicsQuest is a set of four activities designed to engage students in scientific
inquiry. The 2008-2009 activities are linked together via a storyline and comic book
that follow Nikola Tesla from his home in Croatia to his interactions with Thomas
Alva Edison and finally to his winning the right to light the World’s Columbian
Exposition in Chicago in 1893. It was at this point that alternating current (AC)
power beat Edison’s direct power (DC) power in the great “War of the Currents.”
The online results submission form requires the answers to all of the questions
on the Final Report. Each step must be correct in order for classes to qualify for
prizes. Each class can only submit one entry form, so class discussions of results
are encouraged.
Answers can be submitted online through the PhysicsQuest web site beginning
January 5, 2009
2008
Nikola Tesla
and the
Electric Fair
Research and text by
Rebecca Thompson-Flagg, Christopher DiScenza, Justin Reeder and Kerry G. Johnson
Editorial Review
Alan Chodos
w w w. a p s . o r g
Physics Central
APS also runs PhysicsCentral, a web site aimed at
communicating the excitement and importance of physics
to the general public. At this site, www.physicscentral.com,
you can find out about APS educational programs, current
physics research, people in physics and more.
American Physical Society • January 2009 PHYSICS QUEST 2008: Nikola Tesla and the Electric Fair | 3
Table of Contents
Welcome to PhysicsQuest 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
About Nikola Tesla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The PhysicsQuest Challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Tesla’s Tool Chest Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
PhysicsQuest Materials Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Materials List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
In 1884, he arrived in America looking to develop his ideas with the successful inventor
Thomas Alva Edison. Tesla handed Edison a recommendation letter from his former supervisor,
Charles Batchelor. The letter said: “I know two great men and you are one of them; the other
is this young man.” Edison hired Tesla immediately to work for his Edison Machine Works.
Tesla made significant improvements to Edison’s power generator designs. However, Tesla
fought with Edison over the use of AC in the electrical systems. Edison had invested too much
time and money into his DC system. Tesla knew that AC was more efficient and it would
allow for more electrical innovation in the future. Switching to Tesla’s AC system would be
too expensive in the short term and it would also cost Edison his pride. Tesla left Edison’s
workshop to work for one of Edison’s rivals, George Westinghouse Jr. Thus began a personal
as well as scientific battle between Tesla and Edison over Alternating Current AC versus Direct
Current DC. This conflict was known as the “War of the Currents.”
The battle quickly shifted onto the political stage. It involved public events and
demonstrations with the media. Edison was a successful businessman and a celebrity. He
would publicly demonstrate the harmful effects of AC on livestock. To further his political
war, he attempted to coin the phrase for electrocution as “getting Westinghoused”. These
cruel demonstrations were intended to frighten the public and have shivers run down their
spine upon hearing the words “Alternating Current.” Ironically today, Edison’s Direct Current
is generally considered more dangerous because electricity can remain stored long after the
power has been shut off.
The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 was the symbolic end to the “War of the Currents”.
The fair resembled a great white city that was designed to glow with electric light. Tesla and
Edison competed for the chance to provide electrical power for the first time to such an event.
Edison’s inefficient DC design required a heavy price compared to Westinghouse and Tesla’s
AC generators. The winning design would light the white city.
American Physical Society • January 2009 PHYSICS QUEST 2008: Nikola Tesla and the Electric Fair | 5
electricity.
You must hunt through the comic book pages and find all
of Nikola’s tools before it’s too late. At the end of each Magnifying glass
PhysicsQuest activity you will be asked to look through the
comic book pages that precede the activity to find a particular
pigeon. That pigeon is holding one of Tesla’s important tools Electrical tape
and just like many superheroes, he might need things that Wire
don’t look like your traditional tools. Nuts and bolts
So look hard, they are tricky little birds! But with your help
our hero, Nikola Tesla will become a legend! Chewing gum
Pliers
Good luck!
n Comic Book
Each activity will be preceded by several pages of a comic book that will follow the life of Nikola
Tesla. Through these pages the students will learn about the life of Tesla and follow him from
his birthplace of Croatia, through his battles with Thomas Edison and finally his triumph in the
“Great War of the Currents.”
• Key terms
This section lists terms related to the activity that the students will
encounter in the Student’s Guide.
• Safety
This section highlights potential hazards and safety precautions.
• Materials
This section lists the materials needed for the activity. Materials that are provided in
the kit are in BOLD type; you will need to provide the other items.
• Extension activities
Extension activities related to each activity can be found on the PhysicsQuest web site
This section gives a brief description of those related to the activity.
• Materials
This section lists the materials students will need for the activity.
• Getting started
This section includes discussion questions designed to get students thinking about
the key question, why it’s important, and how they might find an answer.
• The experiment
This section leads students step-by-step through the set-up and data collection process.
n Activity hardware
The hardware included in the kit is listed on page 8. For specific information on these items
and where they can be purchased, see the materials list on the PhysicsQuest web site.
NOTE: Please note that the “Disappearing Crystals” activity requires advanced set-up.
Materials list
Included in this kit Not included in this kit
If your kit is missing any of these materials, For more information on these items and
please contact the kit vendor according to the where they can be purchased, please visit the
directions on the PhysicsQuest web site. PhysicsQuest web site.
• Battery holder
• AA batteries (6)
• C battery
• Steel slug
• Cardboard tube
• Nail
• Pinwheel top
American Physical Society • January 2009 PHYSICS QUEST 2008: Nikola Tesla and the Electric Fair | 9
Nikola Tesla, with Ruder Boskovic’s book Theoria Philosophiae Naturalis, sits in front of the
spiral coil of his high-frequency transformer at East Houston St., NY. (Public domain image)