The rest of the world is 220 volts (or thereabouts)

[Atheus]

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: Atheus

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: Atheus

Originally posted by: spidey07
Wiki is hardly a source for reliable information. We invented power and electricity. in addition to most of the modern world. Benjamin Franklin.

You see, I _knew_ you were serious...

Purely in the field of electricity, Faraday (British) and Tesla (Austrian) dwarf Franklin's contribution!

And most of the modern world? Give me a break! How about the entire industrial age? The internal combustion engine, the steam engine, the electric engine, the jet engine, steel manufacturing, steel ships and planes, a million other things - British my friend.

Tesla was American/Canadian when he made his major practical breakthroughs.

He was born in Austria. You might as well claim Einstein was American.

Faraday deserves credit, but the US did do a huge chunk of the work in making modern power systems possible. Many scholars (especially European scientists -- IDK about British ones.) derided an electrical power system as unworkably complex.

Yea, I'm not arguing with that, I'm arguing with Spidey's 'most of the modern world' thing.

I guess I shouldn't say Tesla was "American" but that he was an American when he made his breakthroughs. That he was a citizen of the US, he was living in America and working for an American company during that period, and that he lived out his life here.

In many "Americans" world view, anyone who freely immigrates here, gets citizenship and remains here is as American as someone born here. Einstein was an American too, but he made his biggest discoveries when he was still a German.

They both had dual citizenships though, they were never 'American' but 'German/American' or whatever - you don't give up your homeland by moving overseas for a while. And what's more, they were both products of their homeland's education systems and social climate, not America's. It would be different for someone who moved to the states when they were like 5 years old.

 

[So]

Originally posted by: Atheus

They both had dual citizenships though, they were never 'American' but 'German/American' or whatever - you don't give up your homeland by moving overseas for a while. And what's more, they were both products of their homeland's education systems and social climate, not America's. It would be different for someone who moved to the states when they were like 5 years old.

Like I said, it's a weird American view, but anyone who honestly decides to label themselves "American" is considered one by the general populous. Regardless of how long they lived in another country.

 

[ElFenix]

so the US has 50% more fatal shocks than the UK, but with 5x greater population. now, there may be something else going on, but it looks like 110 isn't as dangerous as 220.

 

[Atheus]

Originally posted by: Molondo
But tesla was a serbian From croatia, that was controlled by austria-hungary empire.
He doesn't get nearly enough Credit for what he has done. Its too bad.
Mr. AC himself

He's one of my favorite scientists - have you seen the mythbusters episode about his 'earthquake machine'? Great stuff.

 

[So]

Anyway, we're way off topic. The point is, Westerners from most countries played a major role in developing a modern understanding of electromagnetism. The only claim I am making is that the first deployments of practical and/or commercial power systems were in the US.

 

[LordMorpheus]

You are right about lower power loss in lines using higher voltages, but you do realize that if you cut down a power line anywhere in the US you won't find and 120V lines, right?

They transform higher voltages (14 KV?) to wall outlet levels very close to your house, probably within a few hundred feet. Using 220V will not affect the power loss in that short of a run by any meaningul amount.

 

[RichUK]

I really thought that it was the amperes that killed, not the voltage.

Don?t taser guns operate at 60,000 volts or something like that? Is it something to do with AC and DC as to why voltage is more potent?

I?m no electrician so I?m not about to pretend I know what I?m talking about. I know we English run on 240v?s though

 

[So]

Originally posted by: Atheus

Originally posted by: Molondo
But tesla was a serbian From croatia, that was controlled by austria-hungary empire.
He doesn't get nearly enough Credit for what he has done. Its too bad.
Mr. AC himself

He's one of my favorite scientists - have you seen the mythbusters episode about his 'earthquake machine'? Great stuff.

Yeah tesla was really cool. Some of his late life stuff was out there, but the circuits he did complete were nothing short of groundbreaking.

(pun pun pun)

 

[Atheus]

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: Atheus

They both had dual citizenships though, they were never 'American' but 'German/American' or whatever - you don't give up your homeland by moving overseas for a while. And what's more, they were both products of their homeland's education systems and social climate, not America's. It would be different for someone who moved to the states when they were like 5 years old.

Like I said, it's a weird American view, but anyone who honestly decides to label themselves "American" is considered one by the general populous. Regardless of how long they lived in another country.

So you are assumed to have given up your other nationality by getting American citizenship? Wow... I would find it incredibly insulting if I got US citizenship and someone told me I was now American and no longer English. I expect Einstein and Tesla would have felt the same way... well maybe Einstein would have given up Germany during the war... but you get my point.

 

[Molondo]

Originally posted by: Atheus

Originally posted by: Molondo
But tesla was a serbian From croatia, that was controlled by austria-hungary empire.
He doesn't get nearly enough Credit for what he has done. Its too bad.
Mr. AC himself

He's one of my favorite scientists - have you seen the mythbusters episode about his 'earthquake machine'? Great stuff.

No i haven't i bet it would have been intresting. If he had only the money, who knows what he could have come up with, and his machine about thought-image! That was a weird one.

EDIT: Grammaaar

 

[ElFenix]

as for metal airplanes, the first metal frame was a fokker, and the first plane with metal wings, fuselage, and skin was the junkers jl6.

the jet turbine was developed independently at the same time by english and german engineers, with the germans having the first operational unit


and the USS michigan had an iron hull 17 years before the HMS warrior

 

[So]

Originally posted by: RichUK
I really thought that it was the amperes that killed, not the voltage.

Don?t taser guns operate at 60,000 volts or something like that? Is it something to do with AC and DC as to why voltage is more potent?

I?m no electrician so I?m not about to pretend I know what I?m talking about. I know we English run on 240v?s though

Current kills, but the resistance by the body is roughly static, so more votlage generally = more current. AC is more 'potent' because the ac voltage rated is actually sqrt(2) less than the peak voltage put out. I.E. in the US, 110V is 110V RMS, which is 170V Peak.

 

[So]

Originally posted by: Atheus

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: Atheus

They both had dual citizenships though, they were never 'American' but 'German/American' or whatever - you don't give up your homeland by moving overseas for a while. And what's more, they were both products of their homeland's education systems and social climate, not America's. It would be different for someone who moved to the states when they were like 5 years old.

Like I said, it's a weird American view, but anyone who honestly decides to label themselves "American" is considered one by the general populous. Regardless of how long they lived in another country.

So you are assumed to have given up your other nationality by getting American citizenship? Wow... I would find it incredibly insulting if I got US citizenship and someone told me I was now American and no longer English. I expect Einstein and Tesla would have felt the same way... well maybe Einstein would have given up Germany during the war... but you get my point.

Not at all. Being an American makes you no less anything else.

 

[Atheus]

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: Atheus

Originally posted by: Molondo
But tesla was a serbian From croatia, that was controlled by austria-hungary empire.
He doesn't get nearly enough Credit for what he has done. Its too bad.
Mr. AC himself

He's one of my favorite scientists - have you seen the mythbusters episode about his 'earthquake machine'? Great stuff.

Yeah tesla was really cool. Some of his late life stuff was out there, but the circuits he did complete were nothing short of groundbreaking.

(pun pun pun)

Yea he was nuts. Apparently he brought down his own workshop with that machine, injuring people who worked for him, and who knows what might have happened if he had turned on that massive tower thing...

 

[brandonbull]

Big deal. Houses in the US have 220v coming into the home. It's not like our houses are wired for 110v straight from the power plant. I'm sure those 5 feet causes tons of heat issues.

 

[RichUK]

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: RichUK
I really thought that it was the amperes that killed, not the voltage.

Don?t taser guns operate at 60,000 volts or something like that? Is it something to do with AC and DC as to why voltage is more potent?

I?m no electrician so I?m not about to pretend I know what I?m talking about. I know we English run on 240v?s though

Current kills, but the resistance by the body is roughly static, so more votlage generally = more current. AC is more 'potent' because the ac voltage rated is actually sqrt(2) less than the peak voltage put out. I.E. in the US, 110V is 110V RMS, which is 170V Peak.

Ahh, I understand. Thanks

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: So
Oh, and Faraday was a really smart guy!

I live in one of his cages. :laugh:


The resistance of the human body varies greatly depending on environmental factors AND point of contact with conductors.

This is why you don't play with a toaster while in the tub.

 

[Atheus]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
as for metal airplanes, the first metal frame was a fokker, and the first plane with metal wings, fuselage, and skin was the junkers jl6.

the jet turbine was developed independently at the same time by english and german engineers, with the germans having the first operational unit

I have read that Von Ohain's working engine was some months behind Whittle's, and that Whittle had a patent years before that.

 

[So]

Originally posted by: MS Dawn

Originally posted by: So
Oh, and Faraday was a really smart guy!

I live in one of his cages. :laugh:


The resistance of the human body varies greatly depending on environmental factors AND point of contact with conductors.

This is why you don't play with a toaster while in the tub.

boo-urns.

 

[IAteYourMother]

Originally posted by: Atheus

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: Atheus

They both had dual citizenships though, they were never 'American' but 'German/American' or whatever - you don't give up your homeland by moving overseas for a while. And what's more, they were both products of their homeland's education systems and social climate, not America's. It would be different for someone who moved to the states when they were like 5 years old.

Like I said, it's a weird American view, but anyone who honestly decides to label themselves "American" is considered one by the general populous. Regardless of how long they lived in another country.

So you are assumed to have given up your other nationality by getting American citizenship? Wow... I would find it incredibly insulting if I got US citizenship and someone told me I was now American and no longer English. I expect Einstein and Tesla would have felt the same way... well maybe Einstein would have given up Germany during the war... but you get my point.

no, but you're also American too.

 

[Mark R]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
so the US has 50% more fatal shocks than the UK, but with 5x greater population. now, there may be something else going on, but it looks like 110 isn't as dangerous as 220.

No. The US has 50% more accidental fatal shocks per million of population.

 

[iamaelephant]

WTF?! http://www.travelproducts.com/images/adapters/K.gif

 

[BrownTown]

First off I would like to note where someone earlier said that in Europe houses only recieve 1 phase at 220, this is also true in the US, residential users only get one phase, however the low side of the transormer is center tapped so you can either pull 120 or 240 off of the single phase. As for the distribution, standard distribution voltages around your neighborhood will be 13.2kV phase to phase which is transformed to 120-240 at the little transformers you see all over the place. However it is valid to note that the losses on the 120V lines in your house are making a considerable contribution, they may nto be going as far as the 100 mile transmission lines from the big coal plant, but those lines are at hundreds of killivolts, in other words their losses per meter are less than one millionth what they are from the wires in your house.

 

[Atheus]

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother

Originally posted by: Atheus

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: Atheus

They both had dual citizenships though, they were never 'American' but 'German/American' or whatever - you don't give up your homeland by moving overseas for a while. And what's more, they were both products of their homeland's education systems and social climate, not America's. It would be different for someone who moved to the states when they were like 5 years old.

Like I said, it's a weird American view, but anyone who honestly decides to label themselves "American" is considered one by the general populous. Regardless of how long they lived in another country.

So you are assumed to have given up your other nationality by getting American citizenship? Wow... I would find it incredibly insulting if I got US citizenship and someone told me I was now American and no longer English. I expect Einstein and Tesla would have felt the same way... well maybe Einstein would have given up Germany during the war... but you get my point.

no, but you're also American too.

Yea, American too, but still mostly the country of birth if you emigrate as an adult... like in the Big Grand Competition for Who Invented More Good Stuff Europe or USA (which I intend to start) you don't get Einstein. Either the Germans get him, or you have to split the points between the two countries according to where he was at the time of the discovery, and give extra to Germany for educating him.

Einstein must be worth at least 10 points and I'd give Germany 7 or 8 or them. You'd get 3 out of Tesla's 6 points, but Franklin is only worth 1.

 

[BrownTown]

Europe produced the most leaders in science back in the day, thats just the truth of it, but for as long as any of us has been live the US has been dominating the Nobel prizes and new scientific discoveries.