Electric Whirl

Title

Electric Whirl

Subject

Static Electricity

Description

In the nineteenth century almost all power supplies were direct current (DC). In order to step voltage up or down, the direct current had to be converted to alternating current (AC), stepped using transformers, and then converted back to DC. The standard technique developed for changing DC to AC was a mechanical interrupter or Electrotome, run at a frequency controlled by the mechanical attributes of the device. This interrupter was made by Morris E. Leeds & Co of Philadelphia, "Manufacturers of High Grade Electrical Measuring Instruments, X-Ray Equipment and other Scientific Apparatus". The date is no later than 1900-1902.

Source

Property of the W&L Physics & Engineering Department

Files

instruments 006.JPG
Date Added
November 14, 2011
Tags
Citation
“Electric Whirl,” Antique Scientific Instruments at Washington and Lee University, accessed March 29, 2024, https://physicsapparatus.omeka.net/items/show/10.