Charles Proteus Steinmetz: A Fun Scientific Biography (Part 1: 1865-1894)
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Date: 2022-12-27
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Comments and reviews: 20
Max
On Peter Bogdanovich's Who The Hell's in It book, Allan Dwan - the film director that made the first moving camera shot in American cinema - tells how Steinmetz suggested him to leave the specialist salesman job Dwan held on GE and go work in the film industry. Dwan - who was then trying to sell sodium lamps to the film studios - told Steinmetz he really liked the time he spent at the studios but was not happy with his current job. Steinmetz asked if he had any experience with cinema and Dwan told about his love for theater in High School. Steinmetz then told him that a man works better when he works on what he loves. Dwan then left GE and looked for work in Hollywood. If I'm not mistaken, he also did the first Zorro film. \
Steinmetz's humane principles inspire a lot of Electric Engineers around the world. More amazing than the time he would not kill the rats because the mom had just given birth and he would rather live in the cold than turn the stove on. is the time Henry Ford went to ask him to help make more resilient lamps for his cars and Steinmetz told him to wait for while because he had to put his host and friend's kids to sleep - something he did every day. Well. guess what: Ford was not used to that, got a bit annoyed but he waited!
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On Peter Bogdanovich's Who The Hell's in It book, Allan Dwan - the film director that made the first moving camera shot in American cinema - tells how Steinmetz suggested him to leave the specialist salesman job Dwan held on GE and go work in the film industry. Dwan - who was then trying to sell sodium lamps to the film studios - told Steinmetz he really liked the time he spent at the studios but was not happy with his current job. Steinmetz asked if he had any experience with cinema and Dwan told about his love for theater in High School. Steinmetz then told him that a man works better when he works on what he loves. Dwan then left GE and looked for work in Hollywood. If I'm not mistaken, he also did the first Zorro film. \
Steinmetz's humane principles inspire a lot of Electric Engineers around the world. More amazing than the time he would not kill the rats because the mom had just given birth and he would rather live in the cold than turn the stove on. is the time Henry Ford went to ask him to help make more resilient lamps for his cars and Steinmetz told him to wait for while because he had to put his host and friend's kids to sleep - something he did every day. Well. guess what: Ford was not used to that, got a bit annoyed but he waited!
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SunRoad
Knocking down only one parameter, the sense of scarcity in humans, by trading fossil fuels not on the basis they are finite but rather under the mishmash doctrine of what is called 'supply and demand' - has given the opportunity for Steinmetz, Nikola Tesla and alike to confirm the fact that humans are the lowest IQ in all their animal kingdom - even lower IQ than insects.
The destruction of all fossil fuel reserves worldwide in 300 years when nature has taken millions of years creating and saving them safely underground - will always be remembered for our Western Civilisation - as the most idiotic era in humans' history.
In any system of energy, Control is what consumes energy the most.
No energy store holds enough energy to extract an amount of energy equal to the total energy it stores.
No system of energy can produce sum useful energy in excess of the total energy put into constructing it.
This universal truth applies to all systems.
Energy, like time, flows from past to future.
Wailing.
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Knocking down only one parameter, the sense of scarcity in humans, by trading fossil fuels not on the basis they are finite but rather under the mishmash doctrine of what is called 'supply and demand' - has given the opportunity for Steinmetz, Nikola Tesla and alike to confirm the fact that humans are the lowest IQ in all their animal kingdom - even lower IQ than insects.
The destruction of all fossil fuel reserves worldwide in 300 years when nature has taken millions of years creating and saving them safely underground - will always be remembered for our Western Civilisation - as the most idiotic era in humans' history.
In any system of energy, Control is what consumes energy the most.
No energy store holds enough energy to extract an amount of energy equal to the total energy it stores.
No system of energy can produce sum useful energy in excess of the total energy put into constructing it.
This universal truth applies to all systems.
Energy, like time, flows from past to future.
Wailing.
reply
Stan
Hello Kathy, I have recently discovered you in this online jungle and you have my attention because you obviously love history and biographies. I teach On-camera Presentation to sales people and the meaning of body language. You seem to think that you are a lot less interesting than you really are. Try not waving your hands around as much as you do because your hands are sending completely different messages to the ones you are speaking. News readers don't use that device because of coaching from people like me. Try being a little less active on-camera, speak as you would to a friend in a face to face setting and be YOURSELF you have so much knowledge to empart so allow that to make your presentation interesting because it really does absorb me but I find I have to listen to you, rather than watch you trying to be colourful, you are VERY interesting so please modify your presentation and let your knowledge carry the day.
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Hello Kathy, I have recently discovered you in this online jungle and you have my attention because you obviously love history and biographies. I teach On-camera Presentation to sales people and the meaning of body language. You seem to think that you are a lot less interesting than you really are. Try not waving your hands around as much as you do because your hands are sending completely different messages to the ones you are speaking. News readers don't use that device because of coaching from people like me. Try being a little less active on-camera, speak as you would to a friend in a face to face setting and be YOURSELF you have so much knowledge to empart so allow that to make your presentation interesting because it really does absorb me but I find I have to listen to you, rather than watch you trying to be colourful, you are VERY interesting so please modify your presentation and let your knowledge carry the day.
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David
I'm glad others are aware of this giant of a man, and that you are bringing aware of him to the masses.
I could be mistaken, but I believe I recall a story where Steinmetz contracted for [Ford? ] once. He had been hired to fix some electrical apparatus for him, and when finished he charged $10, 000. [Ford? ] asked him for an itemized list.
He gave the following:
$1 - Chalk
$9, 999 - Knowing where to put the mark (on the part that was bad)
I will see if I can find this, though there's a lot to go through in my books - but I will make a point to inform you if I am able to find it again.
Without Steinmetz and Heaviside, we wouldn't be able to have any electrical engineering.
P. S. - Sir Edmund Taylor Whittaker is a giant of the history of science which should absolutely be referenced for the late 19th and early 20th century for all of physics.
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I'm glad others are aware of this giant of a man, and that you are bringing aware of him to the masses.
I could be mistaken, but I believe I recall a story where Steinmetz contracted for [Ford? ] once. He had been hired to fix some electrical apparatus for him, and when finished he charged $10, 000. [Ford? ] asked him for an itemized list.
He gave the following:
$1 - Chalk
$9, 999 - Knowing where to put the mark (on the part that was bad)
I will see if I can find this, though there's a lot to go through in my books - but I will make a point to inform you if I am able to find it again.
Without Steinmetz and Heaviside, we wouldn't be able to have any electrical engineering.
P. S. - Sir Edmund Taylor Whittaker is a giant of the history of science which should absolutely be referenced for the late 19th and early 20th century for all of physics.
reply
Joe
It was Charles Proteus Steinmetz who Einstein went to to get his math checked. Steinmetz wrote a book on Electrical discharges in 1914 where he explained that electricity does not exist inside the conduit but was in fact outside the conduit in the form of dielectric and magnetic fields, which any electrical engineering text book will have drawings of them. To this day people still look at you as though you have a 3rd arm growing out of your head when you tell them this. Electricity doesn't come from nor does it travel inside the copper wire. The wire itself is nothing more than a pathway for electrical fields to travel along with. This is why both dielectric and magnetic fields exist in the vacuum of space. It's the accumulated hydrogen that is the conduit itself which allows the electrical fields to propagate. Hydrogen is also known as metallic Iron.
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It was Charles Proteus Steinmetz who Einstein went to to get his math checked. Steinmetz wrote a book on Electrical discharges in 1914 where he explained that electricity does not exist inside the conduit but was in fact outside the conduit in the form of dielectric and magnetic fields, which any electrical engineering text book will have drawings of them. To this day people still look at you as though you have a 3rd arm growing out of your head when you tell them this. Electricity doesn't come from nor does it travel inside the copper wire. The wire itself is nothing more than a pathway for electrical fields to travel along with. This is why both dielectric and magnetic fields exist in the vacuum of space. It's the accumulated hydrogen that is the conduit itself which allows the electrical fields to propagate. Hydrogen is also known as metallic Iron.
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Uncledoug
I love the stories, thank you for the videos.
I am sad say that it hurts my ears to listen to your speech. I am being sincere. Please let me help you.
The problem is that your room is hard walled, your mic is 6' away and the most problematic is the hard surfaces around your mic. all these hard surfaces create an edginess or harshness. Couple that with the fact that you are speaking loudly in order to heard well on the mic. Both creates a hardness or edginess to your voice that is exacerbated by the room and desk. I'm nearly deaf, so I have to turn it up a bit as well.
I would be delighted to help with suggestions for fixing these problems, if your are interested. You don't have to spend any money, and I have nothing to gain except the stories.
Thank you again, Doug
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I love the stories, thank you for the videos.
I am sad say that it hurts my ears to listen to your speech. I am being sincere. Please let me help you.
The problem is that your room is hard walled, your mic is 6' away and the most problematic is the hard surfaces around your mic. all these hard surfaces create an edginess or harshness. Couple that with the fact that you are speaking loudly in order to heard well on the mic. Both creates a hardness or edginess to your voice that is exacerbated by the room and desk. I'm nearly deaf, so I have to turn it up a bit as well.
I would be delighted to help with suggestions for fixing these problems, if your are interested. You don't have to spend any money, and I have nothing to gain except the stories.
Thank you again, Doug
reply
UncleAbdul
At the time standards agencies were contemplating and arguing (around the 1940's through the 1960's over the name of the unit that denoted frequency, there were two competitors. CPS (Cycles Per Second - supported by AIEE) and Hz (Hertz - named after Heinrich Hertz and supported by IRE. An agreement of sorts was made that CPS would be used for power frequencies (100 CPS or less, and radio frequencies (above 100 Hz.
One wag, however suggested that CPS should be the unit used for both fields. After all, he argued, that it could be named after the prolific electrical scientist, Charles Proteus Steinmetz.
When the AIEE and the IRE merged to become the IEEE, the Hertz, Hz, was adopted.
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At the time standards agencies were contemplating and arguing (around the 1940's through the 1960's over the name of the unit that denoted frequency, there were two competitors. CPS (Cycles Per Second - supported by AIEE) and Hz (Hertz - named after Heinrich Hertz and supported by IRE. An agreement of sorts was made that CPS would be used for power frequencies (100 CPS or less, and radio frequencies (above 100 Hz.
One wag, however suggested that CPS should be the unit used for both fields. After all, he argued, that it could be named after the prolific electrical scientist, Charles Proteus Steinmetz.
When the AIEE and the IRE merged to become the IEEE, the Hertz, Hz, was adopted.
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Swami
- ANOTHER FANTASTIC VIDEO - as always: )
- Having a formal education in electrical engineering, and being a self-taught math teacher (by nature/profession, and a lover of history, your subject matter, and presentation are richly appreciated.
- Now, AS FOR QUATERNIONS, I've also been a 3D animator, where me initial exposure to quaternions arose (for rotations. And, I've heard that Maxwell's Equations were originally written in the form of quaternions - so, I was excited to get the details of exactly why/how. only to find I will have to wait for your next heroic effort! So, I await in giddy antici. pation: ).
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- ANOTHER FANTASTIC VIDEO - as always: )
- Having a formal education in electrical engineering, and being a self-taught math teacher (by nature/profession, and a lover of history, your subject matter, and presentation are richly appreciated.
- Now, AS FOR QUATERNIONS, I've also been a 3D animator, where me initial exposure to quaternions arose (for rotations. And, I've heard that Maxwell's Equations were originally written in the form of quaternions - so, I was excited to get the details of exactly why/how. only to find I will have to wait for your next heroic effort! So, I await in giddy antici. pation: ).
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Kenneth
As an undergrad in Ed, one of my favorite professors told the apocryphal story about Steinmetz inviting the entire Board of Directors over to his house on a lake. He made sure all were on the deck overlooking the lake. The entire group then saw him rowing a boat out onto the lake, stopping and staring at the house and then rowing back to the shore. When he reached the shore he was met by an executive who asked what he was doing. Steinmetz told him he had just had the deck built and he wanted to make sure the deck was strong enough to hold him.
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As an undergrad in Ed, one of my favorite professors told the apocryphal story about Steinmetz inviting the entire Board of Directors over to his house on a lake. He made sure all were on the deck overlooking the lake. The entire group then saw him rowing a boat out onto the lake, stopping and staring at the house and then rowing back to the shore. When he reached the shore he was met by an executive who asked what he was doing. Steinmetz told him he had just had the deck built and he wanted to make sure the deck was strong enough to hold him.
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David
I read all about him in 5th grade, in a Scholastic Book Club bought for 25c. Love that pic of Tesla, Einstein, and he. 2 Jews, 1 not. Too bad he worshipped Marx instead of the One. I read that he was embarrassed he couldnt drive and bought a car w dual back seat controls, with his driver there. Also, he loved his boss so much that Mr. Westinghouse had to buy out the company in order to get him.
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I read all about him in 5th grade, in a Scholastic Book Club bought for 25c. Love that pic of Tesla, Einstein, and he. 2 Jews, 1 not. Too bad he worshipped Marx instead of the One. I read that he was embarrassed he couldnt drive and bought a car w dual back seat controls, with his driver there. Also, he loved his boss so much that Mr. Westinghouse had to buy out the company in order to get him.
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Mark
Cool: in 1966 at age 10 my Mother took me to a used books store, all book 25 cents, still have them all, including: 'LOKI the Life of Charles Proteus Steinmetz' 1929, by Jonathan Norton Leonard. Did not become an electrical engineer, but a geologist. In any case the book provided a inspiration to a fumbling 10 year old.
Cheers, Mark
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Cool: in 1966 at age 10 my Mother took me to a used books store, all book 25 cents, still have them all, including: 'LOKI the Life of Charles Proteus Steinmetz' 1929, by Jonathan Norton Leonard. Did not become an electrical engineer, but a geologist. In any case the book provided a inspiration to a fumbling 10 year old.
Cheers, Mark
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Debraj
I have worked with GE as application engineer for induction motor and still associated with motor as my job. I had also studied Steinmetz model for AC Induction motor, but not went further to know more about him. This video is delight to watch and has so much of information. I have shared with my colleagues as well.
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I have worked with GE as application engineer for induction motor and still associated with motor as my job. I had also studied Steinmetz model for AC Induction motor, but not went further to know more about him. This video is delight to watch and has so much of information. I have shared with my colleagues as well.
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Dale
The more I hear about who really did the work of developing three phase power, it seems like Tesla may have been more like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk. a self-promoting huckster that takes the work of others and claims it as their own. Did Tesla really do anything useful beyond riding the coat-tails of others?
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The more I hear about who really did the work of developing three phase power, it seems like Tesla may have been more like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk. a self-promoting huckster that takes the work of others and claims it as their own. Did Tesla really do anything useful beyond riding the coat-tails of others?
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Eric
Steinmetz was a solid scientist and engineer, but is not well known today.
There is a very good scientific biography of Steinmetz written by Ronald R. Kline with the title Steinmetz: Engineer and Socialist (1992.
That book should be considered the standard reference concerning Steinmetz's work.
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Steinmetz was a solid scientist and engineer, but is not well known today.
There is a very good scientific biography of Steinmetz written by Ronald R. Kline with the title Steinmetz: Engineer and Socialist (1992.
That book should be considered the standard reference concerning Steinmetz's work.
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Pete
My father told me a story about Herr Steinmetz. Apparently, there was some decision at his company with which he objected. He simply left the plant, went home, and then went fishing. The CEO of GE had to come to him - at the fishing hole with hat in hand - go beg for him to return to work.
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My father told me a story about Herr Steinmetz. Apparently, there was some decision at his company with which he objected. He simply left the plant, went home, and then went fishing. The CEO of GE had to come to him - at the fishing hole with hat in hand - go beg for him to return to work.
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Dan
This is awesome and inspiring Kathy! Thanks for this story. I had heard of CPS about 6 years ago and learned that this man was largely anonymous regarding his contribution to our current modern world. Every high school science and physics student should know this story. Fascinating!
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This is awesome and inspiring Kathy! Thanks for this story. I had heard of CPS about 6 years ago and learned that this man was largely anonymous regarding his contribution to our current modern world. Every high school science and physics student should know this story. Fascinating!
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Lincoln
Hey, i love your videos as we dont learn much history about this in my school just the science. i was wondering if you can do a video on pressure and temperature and how they are proportional. I watched your video on kelvin and it didn't explain this cheers from Austraila
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Hey, i love your videos as we dont learn much history about this in my school just the science. i was wondering if you can do a video on pressure and temperature and how they are proportional. I watched your video on kelvin and it didn't explain this cheers from Austraila
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Dave
Great video. I also had never heard of Steinmetz. I have however heard of Jack D Ripper. He was the US air force commander in the film Dr. Strangelove or how I stopped worrying and learned to love the bomb. Ripper was responsible starting WWIII due to floridisation of water
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Great video. I also had never heard of Steinmetz. I have however heard of Jack D Ripper. He was the US air force commander in the film Dr. Strangelove or how I stopped worrying and learned to love the bomb. Ripper was responsible starting WWIII due to floridisation of water
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Herman
Good story, I have been a fan of C P Steinmetz and his life's accomplishments for many years. Sprague electronics is not far from home. As such you are mispronouncing it as it always pronounced as SPRAY GE not SPRAH GE. But then maybe everyone around here has it wrong.
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Good story, I have been a fan of C P Steinmetz and his life's accomplishments for many years. Sprague electronics is not far from home. As such you are mispronouncing it as it always pronounced as SPRAY GE not SPRAH GE. But then maybe everyone around here has it wrong.
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GH1618
At 21: 00 Im wondering where the power plant at Oregon City fits in. It started delivering AC power to Portland some time in 1890, using Westinghouse equipment. I dont know the particulars of the configuration. Would it have been a single-phase system? What frequency?
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At 21: 00 Im wondering where the power plant at Oregon City fits in. It started delivering AC power to Portland some time in 1890, using Westinghouse equipment. I dont know the particulars of the configuration. Would it have been a single-phase system? What frequency?
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