Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Ιστορία των Επιστημών και της ΤεχνολογίαςLibrary of the School of Science
Author:
Filippaios Fragkiskos
Supervisors info:
Αριστοτέλης Τύμπας, καθηγητής, ΙΦΕ, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Συγκρίσεις τρόπων μεταφοράς ηλεκτικής ενέργειας στα ελληνικά σχολικά εγχειρίδια Φυσικής, 1860 - 1930
Translated title:
Comparisons of ways of electricity transfer in Greek Physics textbooks, 1860 - 1930
Summary:
The present thesis attempts to examine from a historical perspective how the famous conflict between the continuous and alternating current was reproduced in Greece. Its primary material is high school textbooks of Physics taught in the country from the second half of the 19th century until the beginning of the 20th.
We will briefly look at the period when the so-called "war of currents" begins in America. We will watch some episodes of its outcome and, following the historical thread, we will reach the definitive end of the "war" in 1892, which brings the victory of alternating current and make clear that is overrated compared to direct current.
In the following we will describe how the same conflict revives thirty years later in Greece and what are the characteristics it receives, through the controversies that took place at the meetings of the Technical Chamber. To this end, we will use as secondary sources the diplomatic papers of Konstantinos Loukopoulos and Ioannis Garyfalos, which refer precisely to the ongoing dispute between direct and alternating current in the Greek case.
In the main part of this thesis, we present the research in Greek Physics textbooks published during a period in which the question of which type of current is “superior” remains open (1860-1930), aiming to find support lines for one or the other.
At the conclusion of the thesis, we seek to draw a conclusion on how we have historically been led to accept the position on the inherent superiority of AC, through the discourse of school textbooks.
Main subject category:
Science
Keywords:
electricity, direct current, continuous current, alternating current, war of currents, Tomas Hughes, History of Technology, History of electricity, Science Technology Society, STS
