Thomas Edisons Greatest Inventions

The legendary inventor Thomas Edison was the father of landmark inventions, including  the phonograph, the modern light bulb, the electrical grid, and motion pictures. Heres a look at a few of his greatest hits.   The Phonograph   Bettmann  / Contributor  / Getty Images   Thomas Edison’s first great invention was the tin foil phonograph. While working to improve the efficiency of a telegraph transmitter, he noticed that the tape of the machine gave off a noise that resembled spoken words when played at a high speed. This led him to wonder if he could record a telephone message.   He began experimenting with the diaphragm of a telephone receiver by attaching a needle to it based on the reasoning that the needle could prick paper tape to record a message. His experiments led him to try a stylus on a tinfoil cylinder, which, to his great surprise, played back the short message he recorded, Mary had a little lamb. The word phonograph was the trade name for Edisons device, which played cylinders rather than discs. The machine had two needles: one for recording and one for playback. When you spoke into the mouthpiece, the sound vibrations of your voice would be indented onto the cylinder by the recording needle. The cylinder phonograph, the first machine that could record and reproduce sound, created a sensation and brought Edison international fame. The date given for Edisons completion of the model for the first phonograph was August 12, 1877. It is more likely, however, that work on the model was not finished until November or December of that year since he did not file for the patent until December 24, 1877. He toured the country with the tin foil phonograph and was invited to the White House to demonstrate the device to President Rutherford B. Hayes in April 1878. In 1878, Thomas Edison established the Edison Speaking Phonograph Company to sell the new machine. He suggested other uses for the phonograph, such as letter writing and dictation, phonographic books for blind people, a family record (recording family members in their own voices), music boxes and toys, clocks that announce the time and a connection with the telephone so communications could be recorded. The phonograph also led to other spin-off inventions. For example, while the Edison Company had been fully devoted to the cylinder phonograph, Edison associates began developing their own disc player and discs in secret due to concern over the rising popularity of discs. And in 1913, the Kinetophone was introduced, which attempted to synchronize motion pictures with the sound of a phonograph cylinder record. A Practical Light Bulb   Thomas Edisons greatest challenge was the development of a practical incandescent, electric light. Bettmann  / Contributor  / Getty Images Contrary to popular belief, he didnt invent the lightbulb, but rather he improved upon a 50-year-old idea. In 1879, using lower current electricity, a small carbonized filament and an improved vacuum inside the globe, he was able to produce a reliable, long-lasting source of light.   The idea of electric lighting was not new. A number of people had worked on and even developed forms of electric lighting. But up to that time, nothing had been developed that was remotely practical for home use. Edisons achievement was inventing not just an incandescent electric light, but also an electric lighting system that contained all the elements necessary to make the incandescent light practical, safe, and economical. He accomplished this when he was able to come up with an incandescent lamp with a filament of carbonized sewing thread that burned for thirteen and a half hours. There are a couple of other interesting things about the invention of the light bulb. While most of the attention has been given to the discovery of the ideal filament that made it work, the invention of seven other system elements were just as critical to the practical application of electric lights as an alternative to the gas lights that were prevalent in that day. These elements included: The parallel circuitA durable light bulbAn improved dynamoThe underground conductor networkThe devices for maintaining constant voltageSafety fuses and insulating materialsLight sockets with on-off switches And before Edison could make his millions, every one of these elements had to be tested through careful trial and error and developed further into practical, reproducible components. The first public demonstration of the Thomas Edisons incandescent lighting system was at the Menlo Park laboratory complex in December of 1879.   Industrialized Electrical Systems On September 4, 1882, the first commercial power station, located on Pearl Street in lower Manhattan, went into operation, providing light and electricity power to customers in a one square mile area. This marked the beginning of the electric age as the modern electric utility industry has since evolved from the early gas and electric carbon-arc commercial and street lighting systems. Thomas Edisons Pearl Street electricity-generating station introduced four key elements of a modern electric utility system. It featured reliable central generation, efficient distribution, a successful end use (in 1882, the light bulb) and a competitive price. A model of efficiency for its time, Pearl Street used one-third the fuel of its predecessors, burning about 10 pounds of coal per kilowatt hour, a heat rate equivalent of about 138,000 Btu per kilowatt hour.   Initially, the Pearl Street utility served 59 customers for about 24 cents per kilowatt hour. In the late 1880s, power demand for electric motors dramatically altered the industry. It went from mainly providing nighttime lighting to becoming a 24-hour service due to high electricity demand for transportation and industry needs. By the end of the 1880s, small central stations dotted many U.S. cities, though each was limited in size to a few blocks because of direct current’s transmission inefficiencies. Eventually, the success of his electric light brought Thomas Edison to new heights of fame and wealth as electricity spread around the world. His various electric companies continued to grow until they were brought together to form Edison General Electric in 1889.   Despite the use of his name in the company title, Edison never controlled this company. The tremendous amount of capital needed to develop the incandescent lighting industry would necessitate the involvement of investment bankers such as J.P. Morgan. And when Edison General Electric merged with leading competitor Thompson-Houston in 1892, Edison was dropped from the name and the company became, simply, General Electric. Motion Pictures Bettmann  / Contributor  / Getty Images   Thomas Edisons interest in motion pictures began before 1888, but it was English photographer Eadweard Muybridge’s visit to his laboratory in West Orange in February of that year that inspired him to invent a camera for motion pictures.   Muybridge had proposed that they collaborate and combine the Zoopraxiscope with the Edison phonograph. Edison was intrigued but decided not to participate in such a partnership because he felt that the Zoopraxiscope was not a very practical or efficient method  of recording motion.   However, he liked the concept and filed a caveat with the Patents Office on October 17, 1888, that described his ideas for a device that would do for the eye what the phonograph does for the ear— record and reproduce objects in motion. The device, called a Kinetoscope, was combination of the Greek words kineto meaning movement and scopos meaning to watch.† Edison’s team finished development on the Kinetoscope in 1891. One of Edisons first motion pictures (and the first motion picture ever copyrighted) showed his employee Fred Ott pretending to sneeze. The major problem at the time, though, was that good film for motion pictures was not available.   That all changed in 1893 when Eastman Kodak began supplying motion picture film stock, making it possible for Edison to step up the production of new motion pictures. To do this, he built a motion picture production studio in New Jersey that had a roof that could be opened to let in daylight. The entire building was constructed so that it could be moved to stay in line with the sun. C. Francis Jenkins and Thomas Armat invented a film projector called the Vitascope and asked Edison to supply the films and manufacture the projector under his name. Eventually, the Edison Company developed its own projector, known as the Projectoscope, and stopped marketing the Vitascope. The first motion pictures shown in a movie theater in America were presented to audiences on April 23, 1896, in New York City.

Thinkers of the Enlightenment Essay - 500 Words

Enlightenment The Enlightenment era was a new intellectual movement that stressed reason and thought and the power of individuals to solve problems. Even though different philosophers approached their goal differently, they achieved it none the less. They all approached their goal differently due to their different upbringings, their different backgrounds, and most importantly their different environments. A few among the many enlightened thinkers were Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Baron Do Montesquieu, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. While some of their idea’s are not used in modern society, they were all instrumental to the modern society we live in today. More then anyone else Baron do Montesquieu helped shape this country today. Baron†¦show more content†¦Without him we might have strayed to an absolute dictatorship the likes of which was suggested by Thomas Hobbes. Enlightenment thinkers challenged authority by speaking their mind to say the very least. They spoke their mind, instigated riots, and told people to change their own government. The fact that they preached their mind alone without regard of consequence is enough evidence that they challenged authority. Although many individuals were persecuted and intimidated into keeping quiet, they were not scarred by their respective governments and it is for that reason that we enjoy the fruits of their labor. Had they not endeavored so, and had they trembled in the face of adversity, we might be living in a country without any centralized government at all. Despite the fact that there were countless enlightenment thinkers, there are still many identifiable similarities between various of them. For example Thomas Hobbes and Jean Jacques Rousseau both believed in the need for a social contract, and in individualism. They both disagreed on how to go about these things. Thomas Hobbes described an absolute monarchy with limited rights. 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Odysseus’ Obstacles Free Essays

Epic heroes must overcome obstacles in order to prove themselves true heroes. In The Odyssey by Homer many of the obstacles Odysseus encounters are female, monsters, and seducers. Odysseus overcomes many female obstacles such as Scylla, Circe, Sirens, and Calypso. We will write a custom essay sample on Odysseus’ Obstacles or any similar topic only for you Order Now Ancient Greeks felt women were dangerous. Things would be different if Odysseus encountered more male obstacles because he would have just fought them and won. Odysseus has many experiences with female characters such as Scylla, Circe, Sirens, and Calypso. In order to overcome these obstacles Odysseus had to go threw many difficulties. He ended up having affairs with Calypso and Circe. To overcome these obstacles he left them for Penelope. When Odysseus was stranded on Circe’s island he tried to escape waiting for boats to save him. He came in contact with many other female characters also after he escaped. The ancient Greeks thought women were very dangerous and tempting. If Odysseus never came in contact with Calypso or Circe he would have never had any affairs. If those affairs never started Odysseus would not have had an affair with Calypso for seven years. He also would not have had an affair with Circe meaning he would have returned to Ithaca sooner. His affairs were part of the reason for his delay. Things would have been different if Odysseus encountered more male obstacles because he could have fought them and would have won but from what we see Odysseus did not believe in physical abuse toward women, so he was also sexist. He did not believe in killing or hitting women. Throughout the book the only women he killed were his maids because they had sexual relations with the suitors. Therefore he could not kill or hit Circe or Calypso because they were good to him. If Odysseus did not encounter so many female obstacles he would have gotten to Ithaca quicker but he was an epic hero therefore he had to prove himself a true hero. How to cite Odysseus’ Obstacles, Papers

Domestic and Family Violence Analysis

Questions: 1. Identify and investigate two groups in the Australian Community who are at increased risk of domestic violence. Why these are groups of people more at risk and how can services improve policy and practice responses to provide better access and services to these particular groups in the community? 2. Write what did you learn when you are client? How do you improve next time if you meet this type of this client? Answers: (1). The indigenous women in the Australian community are prone to domestic violence. The 2015 Australian of the Year, Rosie Batty raised her voice against the domestic violence done towards the indigenous women in Australia (Boserio 2015). It has been reported that in a week, two women becomes victims of domestic violence. In the year, 2015, 32 women have been reported of losing their lives due to domestic violence (Boserio 2015). It has been found that the aboriginal women have been hospitalized 34 times more than any other women have in the Australian community (Boserio 2015). As the indigenous women do not the proper recognition in the society and the lack of protections for the indigenous women, has resulted reluctance of the women in reporting the cases of domestic violence that has been done against them. The issues between the Australian police and the indigenous communities results in the missing report of the indigenous women regarding the domestic violence. The government has announced a $100 million package to protect the indigenous women who are open to violence. The packages include innovative services and supports for the protections of the women as well as the technologies for them. Among the $100 million, $21 million is kept for the indigenous women who faced domestic violence (Malcolm Turnbull MP 2016). However, the government has launched a number of policies and the funds for the development of the indigenous women, yet some of the actions against the women go unnoticed. It is important that along with keeping the funds, the government should make the rescue operation stronger, so that the police comes to know about the cases of violence to the police and are rescued by the government. A huge section of children is subjected to abuse and violence (Child Family Community Australia 2015). The reports of child abuse and violence do not get reported mainly because the children face these violence or abuses from the family members or relatives. The children fear to tell their problems to the parents because at times the parents do not believe them (Child Family Community Australia, 2015). At times, the family members do not report the cases to the police because of the fear of society and family. However, the violence against the child affects the future of the child as the children grow up in fear and do not develop the courage to fight against anything or anybody at the later stage. The National Framework for Protecting Australias Children 2009-2020 is an initiative taken by the government of Australia to protect the children from violence and abuse (Protecting Children is Everyones Business 2016). The framework will not only take measures in protecting the children but will also monitor the success of the government in protecting the children. The framework will be reviewed on a three year basis for the protection of the children. (2). Scenario one As a client it has been learnt that it is required tot talk to the boy rather than going to the court directly. The father is allowed to meet the kids every alternate Sundays. As the one of the boys does not like to go out with the father, the client has thought of reducing the access of her husband to the kids. However, the counselor suggested would be against the law as it was the order passed by the law (Domestic violence orders 2012). The counselor understood that there is a need to talk to the boy to know why did not want to meet the father. Once the client will be able to know the exact reasons behind the reluctance of the kid to meet the father, the case will be solved easily. If there is a case of violence, it could be solved with the help of law. Once this type of client will again come to the counselor, the counselor should ask the client to bring the kid who is having the problem. If the boy would have come to meet the counselor, then the counselor would have talked to the boy and have understood the main reason behind the fear of not meeting the father (Henningfeld 2012). Out of the two boys, the other boy does not have any problem with the father but the younger son had a problem. Hence, it is important for the counselor to talk to the boy before taking any legal action in this case. Scenario two As a client it has been learnt that there is a womens protection cell, which looks after the protection of the women (Blair 2012). The victim has told the counselor about the type of violence she is facing. The client will be under their protection. Even, if the victim is not staying in the protection cell, there need to be a security check at the residence where the victim is staying and the security will make sure that everything is fine and the partner is not carrying out any type of violence on the women. The client is assured that she does not have to disclose all her details to the protection cell and the police will keep her identity hidden until it was required to take actions against the partner (Gans 2012). If this type of client visits for the second time, the client should be made to talk with another woman who has been subjected to such violence and currently leading a good life without any fear of violence from any person. The present client is scared of the partner and do not want to disclose anything about the violence to anybody, not even her own sister. She might be fearing about the society, however if she meets a person with same problems and listens to the story of a real life person, the client will be more convinced that the problem will be solved and she would not feel ashamed of her situation. It will be easier for the government officials to protect her. Moreover, it will be easier for the person to come out of the situation easily. References Blair, N. (2012).Domestic violence trends and issues in NSW. [Sydney, N.S.W.]: Standing Committee on Social Issues, Parliament of New South Wales. Boserio, G. (2015).Domestic abuse of Indigenous women a 'national crisis'. Child Family Community Australia. (2015).Child abuse and neglect statistics. Domestic violence orders. (2012). [Darwin]: [Dept. of Children and Families]. Gans, J. (2012).Modern criminal law of Australia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Henningfeld, D. (2012).Family violence. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. Malcolm Turnbull MP. (2016).Release: Womens Safety Package to #StoptheViolence | Malcolm Turnbull MP.