Change of the Visualisation of the World by Thomas Edison

Abstract

In this assignment, I talk about one of the nation’s most honored men. He is a great inventor and businessman, Thomas Alva Edison from America. He is famous with their great inventions and have a long-lasting impact on Automotive Industry and on the modern industrialized world. Thomas Edison also found the 14 companies that is General Electric, famous publicly traded companies in the world. He also manufacturer the world’s first industrial research laboratory which is famous by the name of Wizard of Menlo Park. Thomas Alva Edison invented the light bulb, phonograph, storage batteries, telegraph and many more things. However, 300 companies opened around the world to manufacture and sell his inventions, mostly companies carried the Edison name.

Historical Context

He was born on 11th February,1847, in Milan, Ohio(U.S.) and spend their childhood in Port Huron, Michigan. His parents were Samuel Edison and Nancy Edison. He was the seventh and last child in their family. His mother like to called him Alva and his friends called Al. Before Thomas Edison was born, he lost his three older brothers and one sister due to the winter. He had brother named Pitt and sister’s named with Marion and Harriet Ann. His parents gave him name Thomas because of his great uncle. He got schooling only for few months. His mother helped him to get the knowledge of reading, writing, arithmetic. He was very smart and get ready for new ideas to solve the issues. In the early age, Edison get the hearing problems. Edison also sold the newspapers, candy and also the vegetables in his first job. One day he saved the life of the child from the train runaway. After that child father want to help Edison and gave him the training of a telegraph operator. By 1862 he got employed in a local office as a telegraph operator. Whereas, Thomas Edison found that work very motivational which help him to focus on his inventions. In the Menlo Park, Thomas Edison build his research lab. In which a lot of workers work for Edison to help him oh the ideas to create new inventions.

Contribution to PEM

There are many inventions first of them is Electric Bulb. In 1878, Edison want to replace the gas or oil based light system and he start working on a system that is electrical illumination. In the starting Edison had the problem of creating a long-lasting incandescent lamp, something that was used indoor and outdoor. Edison realized if he use the necessary thickness of copper wire in the bulb, than he have the ability to make a lamp that used a low amount of current and the lamp was highly resistance of heat and low use of voltage. After a lot of experiments, first with carbon filaments and second with platinum and some other metals. After all the experiments Edison returned to carbon filament and get his first successful test was on October 22, 1879. That bulb runes continuously for 13.5 hours. After that Edison again start researching on it to improve the design. Moreover on January 27, 1880 electric lamp using a carbon filament or strip coiled a more efficient design and that was the first commercially practical incandescent light. The patent illustrate many methods to make the carbon filament including cotton and linen thread, wood splints, papers coiled in different ways, for many years after patent gave him the permission to make a carbonized bamboo filament that can work for 1200 hours continuously. The use of a specific raw material he got some errors in bamboo fishing pole. After the successful of electric lamp he said that we make the electricity too cheaper only the rich will burn the candles.

Electric Power Distribution

After, the successful of electric light bulb on October 21,1879 Edison moved to make his invention more efficient and that will only possible if only one electric station and travel through large distance. In the 1880s he setup the Edison Illuminating company and make a electricity distribution system. The company maked his first investor-owned electric utility in the year of 1882 on Pearl Street Station in the New York City. Edison setup his first steam generating power station in London. The DC supply system gave power supply to the houses and to the street lights. In the next year, in January 19, 1883 a utility pole is used to support overhead power lines.

Phonograph

The most Favorite invention of the Thomas Edison was the Phonograph that is also known as the recorder in the modern world. Thomson Edison get widely noticed with this invention. Phonograph is the auto recorder. This invention makes him a celebrity. The mechanically very simple and its operation is quite easy to understand to make a recording person speaks into a horn which directs sound waves towards a thin metal diaphragm when the sound waves strike the diaphragm they cause it to vibrate and as the diaphragm vibrates it also vibrates an attached needle. As the cylinder rotates the needle makes indentations in a thin piece of tin foil to play the recording the process is simply reversed. In this case using a separate diaphragm on the opposite side of phonograph and listen the recording.

Contemporary Relevance

Thomson Edison changes the visualization of the world with their inventions. There invention helps a lot in the automotive industry and in the modern world. Thomson Edison brought revolution in the scientific world. Firstly, the light bulb is used in the cars headlamps, interior and on the other places street lamps, home lights also in every field. Light bulb is everywhere because bulb help us to make visible in the night. We can travel in the night because of the headlights. With the help of electric bulb in the industries the production is improved the work is more efficient. Secondly, carbon microphone is used everywhere in the modern cars we can pick our call and talk with the help of microphone. This invention help us a lot is also used in the phones and many other places.