AC/DC - The Power Battle Show

During the 1880s there was a fierce debate going on between two groups of scientists. The issue was whether to use alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) to transmit electrical power across the country and build the national grid. In the DC camp was Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb. In the AC camp were people like George Westinghouse and Nicola Tesla, designers of large generators and AC power plants.

Alison Gouldwell and Ken Skeldon demonstrating the differences between AC and DC electricity in the AC/DC show, presented at the Glasgow Science Centre during Christmas and New Year

In this new show, we have props to show how electricity encounters losses when travelling large distances. A model of the national grid, together with AC transformers, and DC converters allows both sides of the argument to make their case. The DC camp's dirty tricks campaign to show up AC as evil and dangerous is explored, as is the AC camp's use of enormous voltages to demonstrate lighting without wires. In the end, the audience gets to decide who they think should win the battle. The show ends with members of the audience generating their own AC current and using it to win bars of chocolate from the transformer and motor driven dispenser!