What was Nikola Tesla's Death Ray and how did it use microwaves?

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In summary: That said, given the distances involved, Tesla's "death ray" would have been ineffective against anything but very small targets.Sorry if I caused confusion. I was talking about ot theoretically and was wonder how his designs worked. Can you help me there? No, I think you misunderstood what we said. Our point was that as far as we know, there is no "his designs". None of us believe he ever designed a "death ray".
  • #1
Kalrag
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Can anyone explain Tesla's death ray to me in SIMPLEST terms? How did it work? what did it shoot? Was his design really accurate? And another thing, when people say it shot tungsten pellets, How big are the pellets?
 
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  • #2
First of all - did it exist at all? I doubt. My bet is that it is just an urban legend.
 
  • #3
I've never seen any credible evidence to imply this is anything but conspiracy theory. If you have some, please share, but otherwise there is nothing to discuss in a science forum.
 
  • #4
That man Tesla again.
He even got into the film "the Prestige" (played dear old David Bowie) and was so convincing that I swear half the audience actually believed the Science was real. Great film tho!
Who was Tesla's publicity agent? He certainly deserves his yearly bonus.
 
  • #5
Sorry if I caused confusion. I was talking about ot theoretically and was wonder how his designs worked. Can you help me there?
 
  • #6
No idea about the 'death ray'.
If it worked then it is really amazing that it never got any further. The balance of probabilities is that it wasn't real so it has no 'theory' to go with it.
 
  • #7
Kalrag said:
Sorry if I caused confusion. I was talking about ot theoretically and was wonder how his designs worked. Can you help me there?
No, I think you misunderstood what we said. Our point was that as far as we know, there is no "his designs". None of us believe he ever designed a "death ray".

[edit: I should say, a working death ray. It sounds like he did use the word in the press, but it doesn't look like there was a real design or prototype.]
 
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  • #8
As stated above, tesla's death ray likely did not exist but the Tesla coil certainly does and it's principals are well understood. You can take up the chalange of tuning it into a death ray if you choose.
 
  • #9
That guy Tesla was a man of his time, certainly. He had a lot of good 'sexy', novel engineering ideas and I think he must have been a good showman. Certainly, a huge tesla coil would impress anyone (even nowadays) and must have given the public of his time the idea that he could do almost anything he claimed he could do.
Nowadays, someone like him would have been subjected to far greater scrutiny and only his 'good' inventions would have been given credence.
He had better PR than Clive Sinclair got from some of his inventions. Tesla's equivalents to the C5 didn't make folks laugh in those days.
 
  • #10
It's probably just microwaves.

Tesla, wireless, microwave, certainly have things in common. Microwave energy if high enough can be an effective crowd control and would also kill any unprotected circuitry.
 

FAQ: What was Nikola Tesla's Death Ray and how did it use microwaves?

What is Nikola Tesla's Death ray?

Nikola Tesla's Death ray is a theoretical weapon that was never actually constructed or used. Tesla claimed to have designed a powerful particle beam device that could destroy enemy targets from a distance.

Did Nikola Tesla actually invent the Death ray?

There is no evidence that Nikola Tesla ever successfully built a working Death ray. While he did propose the idea for a particle beam weapon, there is no evidence that he was able to construct a functional prototype.

How did Nikola Tesla's Death ray work?

The Death ray was supposed to work by sending a concentrated beam of particles at high speed towards a target, causing destruction through intense heat and pressure. However, the exact mechanics of how it would have functioned are still unclear.

Why was Nikola Tesla's Death ray never built or used?

There are several reasons why the Death ray was never built or used. One main reason is the lack of funding and support from government or military sources. Additionally, there were doubts about the feasibility and effectiveness of the weapon, as well as ethical concerns about its potential destructive power.

Is there any evidence that the Death ray actually existed?

There is no concrete evidence that the Death ray actually existed. Tesla's claims about the weapon were never backed up with concrete evidence or a working prototype. Some speculate that his ideas were simply theoretical and never put into practice.

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