Re: SSTC does 10 foot sparks

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: Mddeming-at-aol-dot-com 

In a message dated 6/23/04 11:33:27 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
tesla-at-pupman-dot-com writes:

Giving an efficiency in power makes perfect sense.  Most devices are rated
in this way.  A motor has a certain electrical power in, and a certain
mechanical power output.  The efficiency is defined as Mechanical power out
/ electrical power in.  A heater, lightbulb, and many other devices can be
given an efficiency rating the same way!  What doesn't make sense is to say
we have a motor which has a certain power output, and then try to calculate
the energy output by lifting a mass, or some other means and at the same
time monitoring the input power and integrating - much more of a pain, and
will arrive at (approximately, due to measurement error) the same result.



Hi Sean,
Power makes sense for the devices you cite, but only because they are 
fairly constant and continuous power-in, power-out devices with a load that 
can be held constant during testing. None of this applies to a Tesla coil. 
The input and output occur at different times, are of different durations, 
different waveforms, different frequencies. In this case, a good argument 
for energy measurement can be made.

Matt D.