Edison vs. Tesla
Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla were two great inventors of the late 19th century. These two men had much in common; they even worked with each other at one point. However, the two men also had striking differences.
Thomas Edison’s method of invention was not scientific; he preferred trial and error to actual scientific knowledge. Edison is probably most famous for improving the electric light bulb, an accomplishment that makes him an elementary school hero. Edison was also a very prolific inventor; he received over one thousand patents during his lifetime.
Nikola Tesla, on the other hand, was a man of science, not of guessing. Unlike Edison, Tesla preferred to apply his scientific knowledge to problems in order to invent things, not use trial and error. Tesla famously invented a new electric motor as well as the Tesla coil, which produces microwaves as it changes low-voltage current to high-voltage current. The Tesla coil was an invention to try to realize the dream of wireless electricity, which turned out to be infeasible.
I think that I am more like Tesla than Edison. I like to use the knowledge that I already have in order to try to solve a problem. I am not a fan of trial and error as I like to be able to predict the outcome of what I do. Like Tesla, I am not against learning scientific methods in order to solve a problem. Edison did not trust science and, therefore, wasted a lot of time guessing at what to do before he actually achieved his goals. I think that is a huge waste of time and that learning the science behind a concept is much easier than guessing it.
However, I cannot deny that Edison’s methods were not effective. His many inventions improved the quality of life for many people, and he did have an amazing mind. But, if Edison had actually learned to trust science and apply it like Tesla did, his one thousand patents may have been two or three thousand. Who knows what he could have achieved if he had not been so stuck in his ways.
Thomas Edison’s method of invention was not scientific; he preferred trial and error to actual scientific knowledge. Edison is probably most famous for improving the electric light bulb, an accomplishment that makes him an elementary school hero. Edison was also a very prolific inventor; he received over one thousand patents during his lifetime.
Nikola Tesla, on the other hand, was a man of science, not of guessing. Unlike Edison, Tesla preferred to apply his scientific knowledge to problems in order to invent things, not use trial and error. Tesla famously invented a new electric motor as well as the Tesla coil, which produces microwaves as it changes low-voltage current to high-voltage current. The Tesla coil was an invention to try to realize the dream of wireless electricity, which turned out to be infeasible.
I think that I am more like Tesla than Edison. I like to use the knowledge that I already have in order to try to solve a problem. I am not a fan of trial and error as I like to be able to predict the outcome of what I do. Like Tesla, I am not against learning scientific methods in order to solve a problem. Edison did not trust science and, therefore, wasted a lot of time guessing at what to do before he actually achieved his goals. I think that is a huge waste of time and that learning the science behind a concept is much easier than guessing it.
However, I cannot deny that Edison’s methods were not effective. His many inventions improved the quality of life for many people, and he did have an amazing mind. But, if Edison had actually learned to trust science and apply it like Tesla did, his one thousand patents may have been two or three thousand. Who knows what he could have achieved if he had not been so stuck in his ways.
posted by Ashley @ 10:19 PM
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