Nikola Tesla - Free-Energy Devices

HIGH FREQUENCY AND HIGH POTENTIAL CURRENTS. 189anything.I have been able to produce such a condition by creatingin the room a powerful, rapidly alternating electrostaticfield. For this purpose I suspend a sheet of metal a distancefrom the ceiling on insulating cords and connect it to one terminalof the induction coil, the other terminal being preferably connectedto the ground. Or else I suspend two sheets as illustratedin Fig. 125, each sheet being connected with one of the terminalsof the coil, and their size being carefully determined. An exhaustedtube may then be carried in the hand anywhere betweenthe sheets or placed anywhere, even a certain distancebeyond them ; it remains always luminous.In such an electrostatic field interesting phenomena may beobserved, especially if the alternations are kept low and the potentialsexcessively high. In addition to the luminous phenomenamentioned, one may observe that any insulated conductor givessparks when the hand or another object is approached to it, andthe sparks may often be powerful. When a large conductingWhen aobject is fastened on an insulating support, and the hand approachedto it, a vibration, due to the rythmical motion of theair molecules is felt, and luminous streams may be perceived'when the hand is held near a pointed projection. telephonereceiver is made to touch with one or both of its terminalsan insulated conductor of some size, the telephone emits a loudsound ; it also emits a sound when a length of wire is attached toone or both terminals, and with very powerful fields a sound maybe perceived even without any wire.How far this principle is capable of practical application, thefuture will tell. It might be thought that electrostatic effectsare unsuited for such action at a distance. Electromagnetic inductiveeffects, if available for the production of light, might bethought better suited. It is true the electrostatic effects diminishnearly with the cube of the distance from the coil, whereasthe electromagnetic inductive effects diminish simply with thedistance. But when we establish an electrostatic field of force,the condition is very different, for then, instead of the differentialeffect of both the terminals, we get their conjoint effect.Besides, I would call attention to the effect, that in an alternatingelectrostatic field, a conductor, such as an exhausted tube?for instance, tends to take up most of the energy, whereas in anelectromagnetic alternating field the conductor tends to take uptlie least energy, the waves being reflected with but little- loss.