The Battle of Electric Currents

Thomas Edison’s development of an affordable long-lasting incandescent light bulb led to demand for an efficient reliable system to deliver electricity to the public. Edison had a head start with his low-voltage direct current system but Westinghouse’s high-voltage alternating current system eventually won out. The alternating current system had the major advantage of transmitting electricity long distances. A transformerTransformers lowered the voltage at the site of use. George Westinghouse teamed up with Nikola Tesla and his polyphasePolyphase current alternating current motor to produce an alternating current system that became the standard of the industry. In his later years, Tesla focused on wireless high-frequency electricElectrics power transmission. He demonstrated that humans could tolerate extremely high-voltage alternating current if the frequency was high enough. He speculated that the ultra-high-frequency current was good for one’s health and even improved learning. This led to the development of the violet ray and widespread use of high-frequency electrotherapy in the United States and Europe.