Nikola Tesla - Free-Energy Devices

HIGH FREQUENCY AND HIGH POTENTIAL CURRENTS. 261cies the loss of energy by the bombardment is greatly reduced,for, first, the potential needed to perform a given amount of workis much smaller ; and, secondly, by producing a highly conducttingphotosphere around the electrode, the same result is obtainedas though the electrode were much larger, which is equivalent toa smaller electric density. But be itby the diminution of themaximum potential or of the density, the gain is effected in thesame manner, namely, by avoiding violent shocks, which strainthe glass much beyondits limit of elasticity. If the frequencycould be brought high enough, the loss due to the imperfectelasticity of the glass would be entirely negligible.The loss dueto bombardment of the globe may, however, be reduced by usingtwo electrodes instead of one. In such case each of the electrodesmay be connected to one of the terminals or; else, if it ispreferable to use only one wire, one electrode may be connectedto one terminal and the other to the ground or to an insulatedbody of some surface, as, for instance, a shade on the lamp. Inthe latter case, unless some judgment is used, one of the electrodesmight glow more intensely than the other.But on the whole I find it preferable, when using such highfrequencies, to employ only one electrode and one connectingwire. I am convinced that the illuminating device of the nearfuture will not require for its operation more than one lead, and,at any rate, it will have no leading-in wire, since the energy requiredcan be as well transmitted through the glass. In experimentalbulbs the leading-in wire is not generally used on accountof convenience, as in employing condenser coatings in the mannerindicated in Fig. 151, for example, there is some difficulty intitting the parts, but these difficulties would not exist if a greatmany bulbs were manufactured otherwise the ; energy can beconveyed through the glass as well as through a wire, and withthese high frequencies the losses are very small. Such illustratingdevices will necessarilly involve the use of very highpotentials, and this, in the eyes of practical men, might be an objectionablefeature. Yet, in reality, high potentialsare notobjectionable certainly not in the least so far as the safety ofthe devices is concerned.There are two ways of rendering an electric appliance safe.One is to use low potentials, the other is to determine the dimensionsof the apparatus so that it is safe, no matter how high aispotential used. Ofthe two, the latter seems to me the better