Skip to Content
Edison on Innovation: 102 Lessons in Creativity for Business and Beyond
book

Edison on Innovation: 102 Lessons in Creativity for Business and Beyond

by Alan Axelrod
February 2008
Intermediate to advanced content levelIntermediate to advanced
192 pages
4h 1m
English
Jossey-Bass
Content preview from Edison on Innovation: 102 Lessons in Creativity for Business and Beyond

7.4. Lesson 62: Create New Uses for Whatever You Have

In the 1880s, Edison conducted experiments on what he called a pyromagnetic generator, a device designed to generate electricity directly from coal, in the form of an anthracite (coke) rod, heated with a metal strip in a closed vessel into which a thin gas vapor was injected. The gas would ionize, thereby generating an electric current. The problem, Edison found—and it was apparently insurmountable—was that the heated gas was dangerously explosive. Indeed, after an explosion blew the windows out of a room in his laboratory, he abandoned further experimentation.

When he quit experimenting with pyromagnetic generator, Edison was left with a substantial stock of roasted anthracite carbon, for ...

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.
Start your free trial

You might also like

Business Brilliant - Surprising Lessons from the Greatest Self-Made Business Icons

Business Brilliant - Surprising Lessons from the Greatest Self-Made Business Icons

Lewis Schiff

Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9780787994594Purchase book