What is Static According to Nikola Tesla?

[iVenky]

I was reading about Nikola Tesla in his autobiography where he constantly talks about "static". Do you know what that is? He also talks about solving statics.

Here's a quote from the book, "Its introduction for telegraphic, telephonic and similar uses will automatically cut out the statics and all other interferences with at present impose narrow limits to the application of the wireless."

There is a lot of places where he talks about static.

 

[DrStupid]

In the context of telegraphy and telephony "statics" might refer to random noise.

 

[davenn]

Do you know what that is?

He's referring to random noise. Maybe you are too young to know of the static/noise, that hiss sound between channels on AM radio
or the snow seen and hiss heard on analog TV between channels ?

 

[iVenky]

He's referring to random noise. Maybe you are too young to know of the static/noise, that hiss sound between channels on AM radio
or the snow seen and hiss heard on analog TV between channels ?

Ok that's what I thought too. I have used radio in my life :P. He talks about a way to solve it. Are you aware of that?

He goes, "By employing receivers connected to two points of the ground, as suggested by me long ago, this trouble caused by the charged air, which is very series in structures as now built, is nullified and besides, the liability of all kinds of interference is reduced to about one-half, because of the directional character of the circuit."

I always thought it's not possible to get rid of thermal noise in the receiver, but I am not sure about getting rid of cosmic microwave background noise and other RF noise in receivers.

 

[berkeman]

"By employing receivers connected to two points of the ground, as suggested by me long ago, this trouble caused by the charged air, which is very series in structures as now built, is nullified and besides, the liability of all kinds of interference is reduced to about one-half, because of the directional character of the circuit."

I'm not understanding that quote. Were there any drawings or other illustration of what he is talking about? Thanks.

 

[sophiecentaur]

I was reading about Nikola Tesla in his autobiography where he constantly talks about "static". Do you know what that is? He also talks about solving statics.

Here's a quote from the book, "Its introduction for telegraphic, telephonic and similar uses will automatically cut out the statics and all other interferences with at present impose narrow limits to the application of the wireless."

There is a lot of places where he talks about static.

I think you need to remember that Tesla wrote things a long time ago and he was a bit 'special', even at the time. Unless you are prepared to read an awful lot of his writing you are unlikely to get a handle on what he's trying to say. Imo, it's not really worth spending too much time in that direction. His modern day fans mainly like the hint of Magic in the stories that have made it down the decades.

 

[iVenky]

I'm not understanding that quote. Were there any drawings or other illustration of what he is talking about? Thanks.

Not that I could find any. One thing I realized after reading Tesla's autobiography is that it's hard to understand what he is saying. It seems to me like his thought process is on a different dimension altogether.