6 ms·

>> He was quite good at math. I started having doubts in his mathematical skills after seeing this youtube.com/watch?v=6331JXvOUGY I suspect he had a very go

>> He was quite good at math. I started having doubts in his mathematical skills after seeing this youtube.com/watch?v=6331JXvOUGY I suspect he had a very good imagination and intuition and was good at experimenting but unfortunately there are also a lot of myths surrounding him.

carapace 4y ago
He didn't use math. He described his method of design. His imagination was so honed that he could design a machine in his mind, run it for thousands of (imaginary) hours, and then measure the wear and tear with (imaginary) instruments, which measurements he claimed would match up with the real world results were he to perform the actual test on a real machine. Dunno if it's true, but it's fascinating.
- claytongulick 4y ago
  I have a copy of his Colorado Springs notes, there's a ton of math.
  - woleium 4y ago
    But did he write it, or 'borrow' it?
    - throw34 4y ago
      And is it correct? http://www.mathematicsmagazine.com/Articles/NicolaTesla.php#.YrtHtqRlDDs http://www.mathematicsmagazine.com/Articles/NicolaTesla.php#... “Tesla’s physics requires a quite different understanding of mathematics, in some extent it is sacral in the spirit of Pythagoras. Pythagoras considered that numbers and subjects are interrelated. They correspond to each other in property due to informational and mathematical aspects of matter existing as one of the manifestations of the Divine Logos.” Not totally sure how to interpret that…
  - carapace 4y ago
    Fair enough, I stand corrected.
- teddyh 4y ago
  The exact quotes from Nikola Tesla’s own autobiography are: I started by first picturing in my mind a direct-current machine, running it and following the changing flow of the currents in the armature. Then I would imagine an alternator and investigate the processes taking place in a similar manner. Next I would visualize systems comprising motors and generators and operate them in various ways. The images I saw were to me perfectly real and tangible. […] The images I saw were wonderfully sharp and clear and had the solidity of metal and stone, so much so that I told him: “See my motor here; watch me reverse it.” […] The pieces of apparatus I conceived were to me absolutely real and tangible in every detail, even to the minute marks and signs of wear. I delighted in imagining the motors constantly running, for in this way they presented to mind’s eye a more fascinating sight.
  - dwringer 4y ago
    In some respects it almost sounds like a late Victorian account of supposed ectoplasmic phenomena. Also reminiscent of the famous story about two experimentees sharing an imaginary cigarette.
  - asfarley 4y ago
    Now tell us the story about the backflip and the fish
schainks 4y ago
You can read Tesla's seminar notes and some personal logs at Columbia University. The idea of "genius" is fungible, but he clearly had the math skills to solve problems he was interested in. His design for the three phase generator is a good example of this.
MisterTea 4y ago
After reading up on Tesla my conclusion that while he was a smart man and had a good understanding of the fundamental physics, he was likely a charlatan who took advantage of the budding electrical industry. Electricity was like the internet, it was a major turning point in human history and a lot of money was going to be made from it. It was new tech and everyone was throwing money at it. And this was the early years, before the physics was well understood. This ignorance was a good cover for charlatans looking to fool investors. From what I gather, he was able to garner celebrity status among the wealthy businessmen and used this to his advantage. This afforded him the ability to travel and meet with other engineers and talk to them about their projects. He would then take their ideas, work or inspirations as his own and sell them to the industrialists. If the engineer cried fraud, who were they compared to the great Tesla? They were easily silenced or ignored. This is why I think he died penniless: As the industry matured and more people gained knowledge, Tesla's outlandish claims could no longer attract investors. This is why his later inventions were more and more outlandish, he was getting desperate.
- Sporktacular 4y ago
  Come on, a charlatan who invented the electrical system we are still using today? A charlatans would be looking for an easier grift which doesn't require an engineering degree, year long battles with other inventors etc. Suspect it's more complicated than that.
  - bitwize 4y ago
    Indeed. Tesla may have entertained a few kooky ideas -- forgivable in his time because of how little we knew about electricity then compared to now -- but he was an honest man, and AC worked! Edison was the charlatan.
    - random314 4y ago
      He did not invent AC. He patented the transformer and a brushless AC motor.
  - MisterTea 4y ago

carapace 4y ago

He didn't use math. He described his method of design. His imagination was so honed that he could design a machine in his mind, run it for thousands of (imaginary) hours, and then measure the wear and tear with (imaginary) instruments, which measurements he claimed would match up with the real world results were he to perform the actual test on a real machine. Dunno if it's true, but it's fascinating.

claytongulick 4y ago
I have a copy of his Colorado Springs notes, there's a ton of math.
- woleium 4y ago
  But did he write it, or 'borrow' it?
  - throw34 4y ago
    And is it correct? http://www.mathematicsmagazine.com/Articles/NicolaTesla.php#.YrtHtqRlDDs http://www.mathematicsmagazine.com/Articles/NicolaTesla.php#... “Tesla’s physics requires a quite different understanding of mathematics, in some extent it is sacral in the spirit of Pythagoras. Pythagoras considered that numbers and subjects are interrelated. They correspond to each other in property due to informational and mathematical aspects of matter existing as one of the manifestations of the Divine Logos.” Not totally sure how to interpret that…
- carapace 4y ago
  Fair enough, I stand corrected.
teddyh 4y ago
The exact quotes from Nikola Tesla’s own autobiography are: I started by first picturing in my mind a direct-current machine, running it and following the changing flow of the currents in the armature. Then I would imagine an alternator and investigate the processes taking place in a similar manner. Next I would visualize systems comprising motors and generators and operate them in various ways. The images I saw were to me perfectly real and tangible. […] The images I saw were wonderfully sharp and clear and had the solidity of metal and stone, so much so that I told him: “See my motor here; watch me reverse it.” […] The pieces of apparatus I conceived were to me absolutely real and tangible in every detail, even to the minute marks and signs of wear. I delighted in imagining the motors constantly running, for in this way they presented to mind’s eye a more fascinating sight.
- dwringer 4y ago
  In some respects it almost sounds like a late Victorian account of supposed ectoplasmic phenomena. Also reminiscent of the famous story about two experimentees sharing an imaginary cigarette.
- asfarley 4y ago
  Now tell us the story about the backflip and the fish

schainks 4y ago

You can read Tesla's seminar notes and some personal logs at Columbia University. The idea of "genius" is fungible, but he clearly had the math skills to solve problems he was interested in. His design for the three phase generator is a good example of this.

MisterTea 4y ago

After reading up on Tesla my conclusion that while he was a smart man and had a good understanding of the fundamental physics, he was likely a charlatan who took advantage of the budding electrical industry. Electricity was like the internet, it was a major turning point in human history and a lot of money was going to be made from it. It was new tech and everyone was throwing money at it. And this was the early years, before the physics was well understood. This ignorance was a good cover for charlatans looking to fool investors. From what I gather, he was able to garner celebrity status among the wealthy businessmen and used this to his advantage. This afforded him the ability to travel and meet with other engineers and talk to them about their projects. He would then take their ideas, work or inspirations as his own and sell them to the industrialists. If the engineer cried fraud, who were they compared to the great Tesla? They were easily silenced or ignored. This is why I think he died penniless: As the industry matured and more people gained knowledge, Tesla's outlandish claims could no longer attract investors. This is why his later inventions were more and more outlandish, he was getting desperate.

Sporktacular 4y ago
Come on, a charlatan who invented the electrical system we are still using today? A charlatans would be looking for an easier grift which doesn't require an engineering degree, year long battles with other inventors etc. Suspect it's more complicated than that.
- bitwize 4y ago
  Indeed. Tesla may have entertained a few kooky ideas -- forgivable in his time because of how little we knew about electricity then compared to now -- but he was an honest man, and AC worked! Edison was the charlatan.
  - random314 4y ago
    He did not invent AC. He patented the transformer and a brushless AC motor.
- MisterTea 4y ago