Bringing Electricity to the Masses Essay - 961 Words

It was not very long ago that as night descended the cities, towns, and homes of the world fell into darkness as well. Lit by candles, oil lamps, gas lamps, and open flame, the light put off by these flames was not very bright and also had the down fall of producing fumes, smoke, and ash. â€Å"The electric light was little more than a novelty for the wealthy and only had small scale applications where only a few bulbs would be needed.† (Flatow 11) If we think about how dependent on electricity we are today, it becomes difficult to imagine the world as we know it without it. Our cars, computers, cell phones, almost every facet of our modern life involves electricity. It wasn’t till a young scientist; Thomas Alva Edison had the idea to create a†¦show more content†¦He was able to study the trial and errors of his colleagues and succeed where they had failed. â€Å"Another advantage for Edison was that he decided to build his light bulb around an entire electric al system of his own design. He would design and produce generators to supply electricity with integrated fuses to regulate and control it.† (Flatow 11) Once the system which would power his bulb was designed he began work on designing the bulb itself. The young inventor began to experiment with different filament materials and shapes. He soon discovered that no matter what he tried the filament would melt shortly after a current was run through it. To resolve this Edison had developed â€Å"a thermal regulator to prevent the incandescing element of his lamp from melting† says biographer and Edison scholar Paul Israel (Jones 55-56) What this meant was as the filament heated up, the regulator would turn the light off briefly to allow it to cool. This gave Edison the confidence to announce that he had made a breakthrough, though he had not perfected the type of material used to make the filament. He invited the press to witness his triumph. Disregarding that his bulbs did not last very long even after his thermal regulator was in place; Edison was still able to convince investors to back him. Edison had been working to design and build his electrical system at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey. Menlo Park was quiet,Show MoreRelatedEssay On Power Consumption770 Words   |  4 Pagesindicator of demand for electric utilities, declined 1.2% during 2016 compared to 2015. Retail electricity rates fell by 2.1% in October 2016 from the same month the year before. The decline in power consumption was led by a 4.3% drop in use by industrial customers. Residential and commercial sales were relatively unchanged, according to the Energy Information Administrations Short-Term Energy Outlook. US electricity consumption in 2017 is expected to remain flat in the residential and commercial sectors;Read Moreâ€Å"Stalin Transformed Russia from a Backward Country Into a Great World Power†¦ but the Cost Was Certainly Exorbitant.Discuss.1059 Words   |  5 Pagescost. Firstly, Stalin realized that despite the fact there were 25 million farms in Soviet Russia, they were ‘p rimitive and undeveloped.’(Stalin, 1928) He saw the need to use the masses to not only feed themselves, but the rest of his growing nation, and to this end decided in 1928 to collectivize the farms of Russia, bringing many positive impacts. In 1930, already 50% of the country’s farms had been collectivized, and at this time, ‘even enemies are forced to admit that the successes are substantialRead MoreClose Reading: Culture Is Ordinary by Raymond Williams Essay1240 Words   |  5 Pagesconceptions of culture that he came across, both examples which he rejects. The common illusion of ‘high culture’ present in both of these examples is seen by Williams as a way of maintaining class divisions between the ‘highbrow’ and working class, bringing the idea of culture back to the notion of power. The language used in this essay is very personal, and can be seen quite clearly in this argument, as you can see his deep rooted working class sensibili ty in his attack on these two perceptions ofRead MoreExploring Religious Education Essay746 Words   |  3 PagesMass is often a very long process and working parents cannot spare what precious time they have to spend upwards of an hour in Church. Some Parishes in Canberra have taken this into account and provide different times, days and lengths of Masses to provide for all those out there that often cannot find the time to attend a congregation. Teenagers are renowned for their lack of ability to concentrate for large amounts of time. A long Mass will bore teens and this will pushRead MoreEssay on Hydrogen Cars: Helping the Earth One Car at a Time1571 Words   |  7 Pagesan anode that is also submerged. The current passes through the water and as it does, a chemical reaction takes place. Everyday water turns into its natural elements: hydrogen and oxygen. The beauty of electrolysis is that any form of electricity can be used, including renewable energy like wind and solar. Through this process we can extract hydrogen gas from water only to be reunited with oxygen and form water once more. With the use of renewable energy and the process of electrolysis,Read MoreBritish Isles Storms1742 Words   |  7 Pagesthe edge of a continent, between two seas and subject to the influences of five major air masses; north-westerly, south-westerly, northerly, easterly and southerly. British climate is classified as temperate as it rarely features the extremes of heat or cold, rain, drought or wind that are common in other climates. Basic characteristics of this climate include temperature, precipitation, wind and air masses. The mean summer temperatures in the UK are lower than the average for its latitude whichRead MoreProgressive Era Essay889 Words   |  4 PagesU.S. citizen from being denied the right to vote based on sex. During the Progressive Era, social reform and cultural changes also occurred. Consumerism was at an all time high. It became a time of economic prosperity. With the introduction of electricity came household appliances. Movies, automobiles, radios, telephones, magazines, and advertising were in the forefront. While consumption prompted the economy in a forward direction, other economic issues arose throughout the country. AgricultureRead MoreImmigration : The Ongoing Question1419 Words   |  6 Pagessatirists poke fun of illegal immigration through the satirical devices of parody, irony, and exaggeration in order to bring light to this very important issue facing the United States of America. One example of the use of Juvenalian satire and parody bringing light to illegal immigration can be seen in Daniel L.’s satirical work. In this work, Daniel L. states that the way to end the detrimental effects of illegal immigration would be to take over Mexico and enslave the native people (Daniel L.). He alsoRead MoreWhich Wooden s Pyramid Of Success Fits Today s Business Environment1400 Words   |  6 Pagesof social contract where I expect that by bringing in employees through giving them jobs and building them up through training and all, I do that and expect that they will hold dear the objectives and goals of the organization and deliver on what I have entrusted on them. It is closely related to Wooden’s respect but it is not an equivalent of that. I am also the kind that values cooperation and team spirit as exemplified by Wooden. I believe in masses where I believe it is better to provide goodsRead MoreWhich Wooden s Pyramid Of Success Fits Today s Business Environment1400 Words   |  6 Pagesof social contract where I expect that by bringing in employees through giving them jobs and building them up through training and all, I do that and expect that they will hold dear the objectives and goals of the organization and deliver on what I have entrusted on them. It is closely related to Wooden’s respect but it is not an equivalent of that. I am also the kind that values cooperation and team spirit as exemplified by Wooden. I believe in masses where I believe it is better to provide goods