Nikola Tesla: the man behind the magnetic field unit.

Abstract

The magnetic field strength of both the magnet and gradient coils used in MR imaging equipment is measured in Tesla units, which are named for Nikola Tesla. This article presents the life and achievements of this Serbian-American inventor and researcher who discovered the rotating magnetic field, the basis of most alternating-current machinery. Nikola Tesla had 700 patents in the United States and Europe that covered every aspect of science and technology. Tesla's discoveries include the Tesla coil, AC electrical conduction, improved lighting, newer forms of turbine engines, robotics, fluorescent light, wireless transmission of electrical energy, radio, remote control, discovery of cosmic radio waves, and the use of the ionosphere for scientific purposes. He was a genius whose discoveries had a pivotal role in advancing us into the modern era. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.