Uploaded December 2019 | Updated September 2026, 56 minutes ago
A Tesla coil is a radio frequency oscillator that drives an air-core double-tuned resonant transformer to produce high voltages at low currents. Tesla's original circuits as well as most modern coils use a simple spark gap to excite oscillations in the tuned transformer. More sophisticated designs use transistor or thyristor switches or vacuum tube electronic oscillators to drive the resonant transformer. Tesla coils can produce output voltages from 50 kilovolts to several million volts for large coils. The alternating current output is in the low radio frequency range, usually between 50 kHz and 1 MHz. Although some oscillator-driven coils generate a continuous alternating current, most Tesla coils have a pulsed output. The high voltage consists of a rapid string of pulses of radio frequency alternating current.
A Tesla coil is a radio frequency oscillator that drives an air-core double-tuned resonant transformer to produce high voltages at low currents. Tesla's original circuits as well as most modern coils use a simple spark gap to excite oscillations in the tuned transformer. More sophisticated designs use transistor or thyristor switches or vacuum tube electronic oscillators to drive the resonant transformer. Tesla coils can produce output voltages from 50 kilovolts to several million volts for large coils. The alternating current output is in the low radio frequency range, usually between 50 kHz and 1 MHz. Although some oscillator-driven coils generate a continuous alternating current, most Tesla coils have a pulsed output. The high voltage consists of a rapid string of pulses of radio frequency alternating current.
![EMF. Voltage as fuction to time, [V = f (t)].](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/560jYVnlIrM/mqdefault.jpg "EMF. Voltage as fuction to time, [V = f (t)].
Homemade science is a collection of classroom tested ideas, suggestions, projects, and experiments that I have used in teaching physical science for schools in Cyprus. I have taught science for 20 years. My intention is to share these ideas with other teachers or anyone who has an interest in science. I have found that designing and building my own equipment has taught me more than any course that I have ever taken. I hope that you consider trying this for yourself. I also share and show some of these ideas at workshops, science conferences, or inservice presentations.")
