5 Fun Facts About the Tesla Coil for Students

Thanks to Elon Musk’s company, everyone is familiar with the name Tesla. But before these electric cars existed, Tesla’s name was most closely associated with the coils he invented for the wireless transportation of electricity. It was a concept that was far ahead of its time. Because of that, Tesla coils are still widely discussed today, especially in elementary science classes. If you plan on teaching your students about Tesla coils sometime soon, review these fun facts they might want to hear about.

They Can Detect Gas Leaks

Even though the primary function of a Tesla coil is to spread electricity wirelessly, it does have other uses. A useful function that not many know about is that people can use these coils to detect gas leaks in high-vacuum systems. While most leaks in these systems will be quite obvious, some are so small that they’re not detectable by a human.

However, at a low frequency, a Tesla coil will create sparks around any leaks in these systems. That means you can move one across the glass of the high-vacuum system to determine where the leaks are and ensure no gases get through.

They Can Produce Ozone

Speaking of gas, Tesla coils can also create small amounts of it. By ionizing the oxygen and nitrogen in the air, these coils can create trace amounts of ozone. This might sound great for our atmosphere’s ozone layer, but they don’t create nearly enough gas to fix it.

In fact, attempting to produce large amounts of ozone would only cause harm for the people running the system. Ozone can corrode human lungs, which means it would negatively affect the lungs of someone who spends multiple hours a day around these machines for a large portion of their life. There’s no harm in short-term usage, though.

They Aren’t Very Efficient

While the idea of having a machine that can distribute electricity wirelessly might sound like what we’ve been searching for to keep our devices charged constantly, it’s not the best solution. The power it takes to run a Tesla coil is significantly more than what it would take to power all our devices individually. Plus, they only work well with simple electronics like light bulbs; they cause most computer systems and radios to glitch while active.

They Have Modern-Day Counterparts

Fortunately, we’ve created modern-day counterparts that are much more effective on a smaller scale. If your phone has a wireless charger built into it, you can thank Tesla. Those coils are closely related to Tesla’s. This newer tech is only in its infancy, but we soon hope to have a version strong enough to charge electric vehicles wirelessly when parked in the garage.

They Are Quite Dangerous

The final fun fact about Tesla coils that you should share with your students is that they’re actually quite dangerous if you touch them. While this fact might not technically count as being “fun,” it’s still important for your student to know so that they don’t try to play with a Tesla coil on their own. To safely teach your students about these devices, you should look into a company that offers science assemblies for elementary schools. A trained professional can show your students how cool Tesla coils are in a safe environment.