Rotating magnetic field (Tesla's conception in Budapest)
Campo magnético rotatorio (concepción de Tesla en Budapest)
- Date
- 1882 · confidence medium
- Place
- Budapest, Hungary
- Credited to
- Nikola Tesla
- Field
- Matter & energy
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What was discovered
Tesla stated that he conceived in 1882 the rotating magnetic field produced by two alternating currents in quadrature. It is the principle of polyphase AC motors.
Priority is disputed: Walter Baily (1879) showed a rotating field with two coils and Galileo Ferraris (1885) developed it independently. The story of the idea conceived while walking in Budapest comes from Tesla's own memoirs; his patents date from 1888.
What it led to
- commutator-free induction motors
- polyphase power transmission systems