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Nikola in Colorado

Teachers Guide by Tom Paden and Quinn Rollins

Grades 1-4

Questions:

Where was born?

What's a reason he might have moved to the United States?

What was one of his first inventions that the comic had mentioned earned him a lot of money?

What remote controlled toy did Tesla build?

What did Tesla want to do with electricity? How could that be useful?

What happened to the butterflies in Colorado Springs when Tesla turned on his large Experimental Station?

When he heard strange signals while he was working on his research, who did Tesla think he was contacted by?

Activities:

Imagine that you are Nikola Tesla and that you want to invent new and fun technology. What would you invent first? Tell the class about it. Draw a design of your new invention.

Nikola Tesla invented a remote controlled boat and people loved it! Using Play-Doh, LEGO, or other materials, create your own model of a remote controlled boat.

Using Play-Doh, LEGO, or other materials, design your own “Experimental Station”. What would you do experiments on? How would you make people want to come visit your station?

Grades 5-8

Questions:

When Tesla heard communication signals, who were they likely from?

Tesla picked up wireless communication signals that were likely being transmitted by . Who was Marconi, and what was he most famous for?

What was it about Colorado that made it such a great place for his work? Are there other places in the United States that would have had those same characteristics?

What are some modern day companies that have used Tesla’s research and ideas? What products or inventions are they best known for?

Activities:

Draw the basic schematic for the . Label the parts and briefly explain how a Tesla Coil works.

Tesla came up with many ideas including plans for Flying Machines, “Death Rays” and “Electrolocation”. Using online resources, describe some of his ideas and how they might work.

Using LEGO, Play-Doh, or other materials, create a model of your own Tesla-inspired invention. Describe how it works and what it is used for.

Tesla invented a “Tesla Coil” to make all sorts of experiments happen. Imagine you want to help him sell it. Using a LEGO template (download it here: http://www.quinnrollins.com/p/lego-templates.html?m=1 ), design a box for the Tesla coil that would make people want to buy it!

Grades 9-12

When Tesla heard distant communication signals, what was the pattern/signal that he heard? What made him think it was intelligent communication as opposed to just random noise?

What were some of the components of Tesla’s Experimental Station in Colorado?

What are some applications for a Tesla coil?

One of Tesla's goals was to develop wireless electrical transmission. What would be a practical application of that technology? What limitations might that technology have?

How did Tesla’s remote controlled boat work?

Activities:

Watch the film “”. What was one of the real-life Tesla experiments in the movie? How was Tesla able to do this safely? Discuss with the class

Design your own miniature Tesla Coil.

Draw a blueprint, or simple schematic, for the Tesla Coil and Faraday cage inside the Experimental station.

Imagine you were the mayor of Colorado Springs and Tesla was coming in to build his station. You want to draw tourists in and build your local economy. Using Play-Doh, LEGO, or other materials, design the Experimental Station and attractions, commercial outlets, and other facilities and features that you feel would create a tourism boom.

Tesla – Tom Paden & Quinn Rollins

Nikola Tesla Tom Paden and Quinn Rollins Art Notes:

We’d like to focus on Tesla himself as well as highlight the particular elements of Colorado including elements such as his Experimental Station, him sitting by his Tesla Coil while fully energized, and with Colorado, imagery such as the “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” sign and the town of Colorado Springs. I’d like it to be bright, colorful, and whimsical. Tesla was such an energetic personality (to use an incredibly corny play on words) and I want to show him being full of this energy, having it expressed by the foo lights from the butterflies, to the lightning leaping around him.

I am expecting each page to have 6 panels,

Here are a few photographs of Nikola Tesla for reference

Tesla – Tom Paden & Quinn Rollins

Panel 1:

This panel will just be a profile shot of Tesla, holding a lightbulb switched on, example of his wireless electricity. It could be fun to have Tesla in B&W but the lightning or lightbulb (whichever the artist prefers) a vivid yellow with blueish glow/aura.

CAP: Nikola Tesla was an inventor who loved electricity. Well over a century later, we are still working on his concepts and trying to understand his genius.

TESLA: “I will turn magic into science!’

Panel 2:

Here we can show Tesla working on blueprints. He had so many ideas and blueprints for them, so we could show one of them. Something like these. This would be a way to focus on his “new and exciting inventions”. Basic “blueprint” colour scheme here.

Tesla – Tom Paden & Quinn Rollins

CAP: Tesla was born in 1856 in Croatia and moved to the US in 1884. He became very wealthy by patenting the (AC) motor and decided to use his wealth to create new and exciting inventions.

Panel 3:

Here we can show Tesla demonstrating his experiments to a crowd. He invented a remote controlled boat which people absolutely loved. They thought it was “Magic”. Deep blues for the water, and I’d love the people in the background to be a variety of ethnicities. It may not be an accurate representation of the people there at the time, but I’d like all of the children reading this 2-pager to feel included.

CAP: When he demonstrated his new ideas he was very popular and a total showman. People loved his inventions such as the first remote controlled boat.

CROWD MEMBER: “Amazing!”

Panel 4:

This should have a rendering of his Tesla Coil, perhaps Tesla working over a miniature version and showing its basic design. I’d love for this to be the same idea, a B&W Tesla overlooking a vibrant blue, yellow, chrome and white colour scheme.

Tesla – Tom Paden & Quinn Rollins

CAP: He built a new device he called the Tesla Coil. This new invention allowed him to create a form of wireless electricity!

Panel 5:

“Welcome to Colorful Colorado”. An artist rendering of the iconic sign would be perfect here. Maybe with a thunderstorm and some lightning in the background? I really love the “Colorful Colorado” colour palette used on this Pop Culture Classroom website. Modeling the design exactly that way would be fantastic.

CAP: Tesla realized his experiments would be better in an area that was higher altitude and lower pressure. He found just the place in Colorado Springs!

Panel 6:

An image of Tesla outside of his famous “Experimental Station, perhaps surrounded by a few onlookers marveling at the sight with inquisitive expressions. The people would be from afar, so no distinct personalities.

CAP: In May of 1899, Tesla began work on his experimental station at the top of Nob Hill. He was soon the talk of the small town.

Tesla – Tom Paden & Quinn Rollins

Panel 7:

The imagery of Tesla calmly sitting by his coil and the Faraday cage is pretty powerful, as evidenced from the following photographs. Something along these lines would be perfect! I am still partial to Tesla being B&W but vibrant colours surrounding him.

CAP: Tesla built his largest coil yet inside the experimental station. He sat calmly as lightning leapt around him.

TESLA: ”This is nothing. Just see what I do next!”

Panel 8:

The imagery here of butterflies in the town nearby that are charged by the electricity is (I couldn’t find an image quite showing this, but here’s an example we could work with, perhaps not the actual catching fire?). A blueish glow surrounding multicoloured butterflies as they circle the head of a young child, who reaches up to toward one to touch it, mesmerized.

CAP: The coil caused “thunder” to be heard for many miles, and butterflies in the area became so highly charged that they glowed blue and caught fire.

Tesla – Tom Paden & Quinn Rollins

Panel 9:

Here we can show Tesla on a flat surface outside, surrounded by lightbulbs on the ground in various states (“plugged into the mud” as well as lying flat/on their sides) lit up. They showed this fantastically in the movie “The Prestige”. That’s where the above image is from. If you haven’t had a chance to watch it, do! It’s amazing and shows some great Tesla action courtesy of the late, great, David Bowie. I absolutely love the muted colours of this graphic. I’d love for it to be similar, but a bit less “creepy” would be just fine. I’d like Tesla to be more prominently shown in the middle than he is here.

CAP: He also created an impressive demonstration of lightbulbs outside, standing on the ground, being lit wirelessly.

Panel 10:

Here we can show Tesla having an “Aha!” moment whilst hearing wireless communication signals. He was originally sure he had contacted aliens, but it is almost guaranteed it was a test being conducted by Marconi. This image might be a great illustration to base an idea from. It may not be so great to highlight any actual space aliens/”Martians”, but the communication signals reaching from Tesla to “beyond the stars” may be appropriate. Tesla – Tom Paden & Quinn Rollins

CAP: While experimenting, he heard communication he believed to be from another planet. This excited many people! He later found out it was likely a wireless communication test by Guglielmo Marconi in Europe.

TESLA: “I have spoken to Martians! Well… maybe?”

Panel 11:

An image of Tesla’s Wardenclyffe Tower or perhaps Tesla himself looking up at the structure, possibly an image of him with a thought bubble of the tower with lightning shooting from it, and objects like illuminated lightbulbs, mobile phones, and radios all surrounding the tower, encompassed by the lightning.

CAP: Tesla eventually left Colorado after going bankrupt, but he learned much while here. His research inspired him to build the Wardenclyffe Tower and come up with many new ideas!

Panel 12:

The images here should represent Tesla’s legacy. Possibly Tesla cars, possibly other inventions. He had so many ideas including some yet unfound patents that are still not accounted for. Perhaps a filing Tesla – Tom Paden & Quinn Rollins

cabinet with such bylines as “DEATH RAY Patent”, “ELECTROLOCATION”, and then to the side you could show the Tesla car logo, and the statue of Tesla

TESLA STATUE: “I continue to inspire!”

CAP: Today, Tesla’s work continues to intrigue and inspire us. Some of his patents are still being discovered, and to this day his name continues to be associated with innovation, discovery and a pioneering spirit all across the world.

Bibliography: http://mentalfloss.com/article/78127/10-electrifying-facts-about-nikola-tesla https://welweb.org/ThenandNow/tesla.html http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_colspr.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Experimental_Station https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla http://www.teslasciencecenter.org/