Magnify Power?

To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Subject: Magnify Power?
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 1998 01:10:43 -0600
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net


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From:  Gomez [SMTP:gomez-at-netherworld-dot-com]
Sent:  Thursday, February 05, 1998 8:41 AM
To:  Tesla List
Subject:  Re: Magnify Power?

It seems there is some difference of opinion on how commonly-used terms
of electrical units are defined.  I know how I've used these terms for the last twenty 
years or so, but in order to make sure that I know how everyone else is using them, I 
offer the following:

John H. Couture wrote:

>   Power is not energy so magnifying power does not defy the law of the
> conservation of energy. 

Agreed, if we also agree that:
energy = power/unit time (ie; Joules=watt/sec)
-and-
electrical power = voltage X current

>   Tesla coils are like the space shuttle and hundreds of other power
> magnifying mechanisms. With the space shuttle if there is not enough
> power
> magnification (thrust) in the engines because of faulty design the fuel
> (energy) will be consumed but the shuttle will remain on the pad. 

Er, having studied propulsion systems formally, I'm afraid you've chosen a poor 
metaphor, but I'll go along with it for now.  Comparing electrical energy systems with 
chemical/mechanical energy systems is like comparing apples to platypus- generally 
non-useful and misleading.

> With a
> Tesla coil of faulty design there will not be enough power magnification
> (voltage) and this means the energy (input) will be consumed but there will
> be no sparks (output). 

Whups, now we have a problem in terms.  "Power" as used by myself or any other  
engineer, scientist, or technician that I know does _not_ equal voltage alone, but 
voltage X current.

It seems to me that when people on this list refer to power magnification, what they 
really mean is increasing the amplitude of some unit vs. time, -or- decreasing the 
unit time during which the given amplitude of some unit is observed.

ie; a Tesla coil's secondary "system", properly designed, acts (in gross terms) as a 
pulse forming network that stores energy over an arbitrarily longerperiod of time and 
releases it in an arbitrarily shorter period of time.  _peak_ power could be seen as 
being higher in such a case, but avg. power must always be lower due to losses, thus 
the conservation of energy applies in terms of conservation of power per unit time as 
well.

>The law of conservation of energy will not be defied.

I agree, but wanted to clarify terms.   If we aren't using the same terms to mean the 
same things, we are going to have a lot of confused people on this list, myself included.

-Gomez

-- 
Gomez: card-carrying mad scientist, extreme fetishist, fiction dabbler, 
pyrophiliac, technomage, goth, SF fan, lighting designer, dominant 
pervert, and juggler of labels... http://www-dot-netherworld-dot-com/~gomez