'At a time when the country is searching for clues to understanding invention and innovation, Bernard Carlson's detailed and thoughtful study of Elihu Thomson provides information and insights of immense value. He moves the art of writing the biography of inventors a quantum leap beyond sentimental heroic-inventor stories and the dry skepticism of macro-economic monographs.' Thomas P. Hughes, University of Pennsylvania
Elihu Thomson was a late-nineteenth-century American inventor who helped create the first electric lighting and power systems. One of the most prolific inventors in American history, Thomson was granted nearly 700 patents in a career spanning the 1880s to 1930s. His inventions included arc and incandescent lighting systems, alternating current motors and transformers, electric welding equipment, and the recording watt-meter, all of which were central in determining how electricity is used today. Thomson was educated in science, and he used a combination of scientific values and craft skills to develop his many inventions. Consequently, his career permits an investigation of how technologists employ craft knowledge to create new products. While employed by the General Electric Company, Thomson worked with other managers and entrepreneurs to link the hardware of electric lighting with business organization and marketing strategy. Thus, his story also traces the role of technology in the rise of a major American corporation.
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List of figures and tables; Editors' preface; Acknowledgments; Abbreviations used in footnotes; Introduction; 1. The cultivation of a scientific man; 2. Learning the craft of invention; 3. The Philadelphia partnership, 1879–80; 4. Frustration in New Britain, 1880–3; 5. Success in Lynn: the Thomson-Houston electric company, 1883–92; 6. Maintaining the organization: product development at General Electric, 1892–1900; Epilogue and conclusion; Index.
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Elihu Thomson was a late-nineteenth-century American inventor who helped create the first electric lighting and power systems.
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780521393171
Publisert
1991-10-25
Utgiver
Vendor
Cambridge University Press
Vekt
652 gr
Høyde
238 mm
Bredde
163 mm
Dybde
28 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
400
Forfatter