Power by Radio
An Invention of the Future ae HE dream of distributing electric power by radio is almost as persistent a will-o’-the-wisp as that of perpetual motion. It has, perhaps, somewhat more chance of fulfilment, for no fatal obstacle of physical theory stands in its way, as the principle of the conservation of energy stands in the way of producing power for nothing. Yet the incidental difficulties of radio power transmission seem almost insuperable. Prominent amongst present-day scientists who are interested in the possibilities of radio power is Dr. Jacques Risler, a Parisian physicist already known for researches in the use of ultra-violet rays and other invisible radiations. In the use of radio waves of extremely high frequency and low losses in the atmosphere, Dr. Risler sees at least a possibility of useful power | transmission. The difficulty with radio power, as was perceived more than two years ago by Dr. Phillips Thomas, the foremost American experimenter in this field, is not so much the loss of power suffered when radio waves pass through the atmosphere as it is the invincible tendency of these waves to spread outward and waste their energy, as ripples spread on the surface of a quiet pond. Were it possible to condense radio energy into a definite beam, as can be done with the light rays of a searchlight, greater possibilities would be apparent. To some extent, as Dr. Thomas proved, this beamlike condersation can be managed, but not sufficiently thus far to threaten the present systems of distributing power through wires. With rare exceptions, energy has an incurable habit of spreading itself as thin: as possible, like water spilled on the floor or like a handfwl of gas atoms let loose in a vacuum, Most of man’s accomplishments in handling energy, like those, for example, which are responsible for electrical ‘ engixeering, have consisted in some device to keep the energy in one place until it is used. The energy of steam is kept inside the boiler by the.steel shell. The energy of electricity is kept inside the wires by a covering of- insulating material, Dr. Risler’s difficulty is that there is nothing to keep radio energy inside the path assigned to it. ©
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/RADREC19300110.2.64
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Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 26, 10 January 1930, Page 30
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368Power by Radio Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 26, 10 January 1930, Page 30
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