Throughout his storied yet tragic life, Nikola Tesla invented hundreds of devices and processes that changed our world, from the Tesla coil to the induction motor.
Among the most famous of Nikola Tesla’s inventions, the Tesla coil forms the basis of much of his work.
Tesla was highly intrigued by high-frequency electricity. He knew that light was electricity — vibrating at a high frequency. And Tesla believed he could harness it.
The problem was that the higher the frequency, the more unstable the equipment. Tesla had tried building rotary generators that could run at high speeds, but they fell apart at 20,000 cycles per second.
Thus, the Tesla coil was born. It consists of essentially two coils that bounce energy back and forth, creating extremely high frequencies and voltages.
They could be used to send radio messages or to power a lightbulb from across the room.
