Re: peak current when spark gap fires

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Mddeming@xxxxxxx 

In a message dated 10/23/06 12:07:31 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, 
tesla@xxxxxxxxxx writes:
Original poster: John <guipenguin@xxxxxxxxx>

Thanks Terry,

although I'm still a little confused......I guess I have a /lot/ more
homework to do before I even power on my coil.

If you have 172.8 watts at 16,970V,  and current = power /
volts    then wouldn't current in amps = 172.8 / 16970 ?



 HI John,

You are correct for a DC or steady state AC circuit,
Average current = Average Power / Average Voltage, but
Peak current= Instantaneous peak power / peak voltage.

The output from a TC primary is a series of large magnitude, short 
duration, decreasing pulses measured in microseconds with spaces 
between them measured in milliseconds. Ergo, large peak currents with 
very low average currents.

Look at it this way. If a car covers ten miles in one hour, the 
average speed is 10 mph. However, it may have gone 100 mph for almost 
5 minutes and then 2 mph for the balance of the time.

Hope this helps,

Matt D.