Was Thomas Edison a blundering idiot or genious? (POLL)

[Stealth1024]

I'm at RIT (comp. engineering major) and in Modern American History Thomas Edison is regarded as some sort of genious, but in physics class the instructor rambles on and on about how he was nothing more than a tinkerer and screwed up the world of physics so that some of his misconceptions exist today even in textbooks (keep in mind the one's who approached physics with math, maxwell, etc. are his hereos).

In-depth analysis examples are warranted so please enlighten me.

The one thing I immediately thought of the is the idea that current is the flow of positive particles, and thus anode/cathode positive/negative +/- have all gone on to carry different meanings in physics/chemistry/circuit design class, etc. I also realize Edison was a huge promoter of DC electricity despite its mathematically proven downfalls (by Tesla, who eventually won everyone over with AC current). I believe there was a competition between the two to win over contracts to light a few world fairs...

 

[Electric Amish]

He was a dick!

Tesla rules!

amish

 

[pulse8]

Tesla rules!

I loved that bad!

 

[SuperCyrix]

emmm..ok

POsitive charge doesn't exist but the idea of it has gotten us very far.
how about imaginary numbers, they don't exist either. Most of modern civilization is built with imaginary numbers.

There is abolutely nothing wrong with DC electricty, at least nothing that a 10 story transformer and 3 feet thick wires can't correct.

 

[SuperCyrix]

I meant postive moving charges in circuits don't exist for those anal people who know what I mean but might still feel the need to point out the obvious writing error.

 

[CubicZirconia]

Even though some of his ideas may not have been correct/practical, I don't think I'd go as far as saying he was a blundering idiot.

 

[ElFenix]

tesla rules. he invented the radio. screw you marconi!

 

[Stealth1024]

"There is abolutely nothing wrong with DC electricty, at least nothing that a 10 story transformer and 3 feet thick wires can't correct"

lol

 

[Vic]

Uhh... he was an obvious genius. His support of DC power instead of AC for electrical transmission had more to do with self-interest than anything else. Competing interests (Westinghouse and Tesla) owned the patents to AC power and Edison was then in the process of setting up GE and his Edison power companies. Edison was more businessman than scientific genius, he actually got things done rather than dreaming and theorizing about it.
Otherwise, are you listening to recorded music while reading the CD liner notes by electric light right now? Recently see a movie with sound? You can thank Edison for that.

edit: I don't quite understand your poll. How could a shrewd businessman of Edison's caliber be anything BUT a genius?

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Electric Amish
He was a dick!

Tesla rules!

amish

I agree 100%.

 

[IcePhoenix]

Originally posted by: Electric Amish
He was a dick!

Tesla rules!

amish

My favorite quote by my physics teacher: "Tesla was a flake"

My astronomy teacher, also a physics teacher, heard him say it and went ballistic

 

[Rakkis]

electrical energy is the flow of electrons - which have been designated as having a negative charge by convention.

not the flow of positive particles.

 

[DaveSimmons]

He stole Homer's electric hammer from beyond the grave -- bastard! :|

 

[JetsFanatic]

Are not most Genious' a blunding idiot of some sort.

 

[Mucho]

Edison had a lab where hundreds of scientist worked however all the patents were in his name.
He stole from more people than Tesla.

 

[Zenmervolt]

I also realize Edison was a huge promoter of DC electricity despite its mathematically proven downfalls

You do realize that just about everything that uses electricity uses DC current? AC may be what comes out of the wall, but the stuff we use converts the AC to DC. IIRC Edison's promotion of DC was due to the fact that almost everything runs on DC instead of AC, so to him it made more sense to distribute electricity in DC thus avoiding the need for AC/DC converters in everything we use. Of course, the ease of distributing AC more than makes up for having to have AC/DC converters in almost everything, but Edison's reasoning isn't flawed.

As for the genius question, it's quite clear that Edison was a genius. However, it's quite clear that Edison's genius was in mechanical things and not in Physics. Just because he didn't excel in every area doesn't mean he wasn't a genius.

ZV

 

[fluxquantum]

edison's famous quote "Genius is one per cent inspiration, ninety-nine per cent perspiration."

 

[tcsenter]

Edison was both, a blundering genious idiot. Or maybe a genious blundering idiot? Idiotic genious blunderer?

Anyway, he was one of those. Edison invented things through a methodical and systematic trial-and-error philosophy. He didn't give up until he had made something work, even if it took 100 failed attempts, we would go back and fiddle and tweak and try it again. Of course he had a lot of assistants, Tesla and Charles Batchelor being the most notable, he always had his hands into more pies than one man could possibly manage.

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: PSYWVic
Uhh... he was an obvious genius. His support of DC power instead of AC for electrical transmission had more to do with self-interest than anything else. Competing interests (Westinghouse and Tesla) owned the patents to AC power and Edison was then in the process of setting up GE and his Edison power companies. Edison was more businessman than scientific genius, he actually got things done rather than dreaming and theorizing about it.
Otherwise, are you listening to recorded music while reading the CD liner notes by electric light right now? Recently see a movie with sound? You can thank Edison for that.

edit: I don't quite understand your poll. How could a shrewd businessman of Edison's caliber be anything BUT a genius?

FWIW Tesla worked on AC technology for Edison Labs before he quit and ended up working for Westinghouse. Edison and his "scientists" never saw the value of AC, even when Tesla worked for them.

 

[Electric Amish]

Originally posted by: rahvin

Originally posted by: PSYWVic
Uhh... he was an obvious genius. His support of DC power instead of AC for electrical transmission had more to do with self-interest than anything else. Competing interests (Westinghouse and Tesla) owned the patents to AC power and Edison was then in the process of setting up GE and his Edison power companies. Edison was more businessman than scientific genius, he actually got things done rather than dreaming and theorizing about it.
Otherwise, are you listening to recorded music while reading the CD liner notes by electric light right now? Recently see a movie with sound? You can thank Edison for that.

edit: I don't quite understand your poll. How could a shrewd businessman of Edison's caliber be anything BUT a genius?

FWIW Tesla worked on AC technology for Edison Labs before he quit and ended up working for Westinghouse. Edison and his "scientists" never saw the value of AC, even when Tesla worked for them.

...and when Tesla proposed the usage of AC for the transmission of electricity, Edison electrocuted animals as a demonstration of the dangers of using AC. :|

amish

 

[kherman]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

I also realize Edison was a huge promoter of DC electricity despite its mathematically proven downfalls

You do realize that just about everything that uses electricity uses DC current? AC may be what comes out of the wall, but the stuff we use converts the AC to DC. IIRC Edison's promotion of DC was due to the fact that almost everything runs on DC instead of AC, so to him it made more sense to distribute electricity in DC thus avoiding the need for AC/DC converters in everything we use. Of course, the ease of distributing AC more than makes up for having to have AC/DC converters in almost everything, but Edison's reasoning isn't flawed.

As for the genius question, it's quite clear that Edison was a genius. However, it's quite clear that Edison's genius was in mechanical things and not in Physics. Just because he didn't excel in every area doesn't mean he wasn't a genius.

ZV

DC has long distant transmission problems due to inductance.

Also, not everything uses DC. The thing is, converting AC to DC is cheap and easy, but DC to AC isn't.

My take on this: "Edison is to genious as Gates is to software architect."

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: rahvin

Originally posted by: PSYWVic
Uhh... he was an obvious genius. His support of DC power instead of AC for electrical transmission had more to do with self-interest than anything else. Competing interests (Westinghouse and Tesla) owned the patents to AC power and Edison was then in the process of setting up GE and his Edison power companies. Edison was more businessman than scientific genius, he actually got things done rather than dreaming and theorizing about it.
Otherwise, are you listening to recorded music while reading the CD liner notes by electric light right now? Recently see a movie with sound? You can thank Edison for that.

edit: I don't quite understand your poll. How could a shrewd businessman of Edison's caliber be anything BUT a genius?

FWIW Tesla worked on AC technology for Edison Labs before he quit and ended up working for Westinghouse. Edison and his "scientists" never saw the value of AC, even when Tesla worked for them.

IMHO, just because someone doesn't see the value of something doesn't make him/her any less a genius..

 

[Aceman]

I think he was shrewed more than a genius. The man didn't invent the light bulb. The plans were stolen. (And the payment for the stolen plans made my distant uncle quite comfortable for the rest of his life.)

 

[UNCjigga]

That electric hammer he invented was "genious"!

 

[ElFenix]

actually, his lightbulb still works, while mine keep burning out. all the advancements of modern technology and GE still cant' make a lightbulb that doesn't burn out.