Edison began his exploration into the light bulb in 1878. By 1880 Edison had filed several patents for the light bulb. Edison explored over three thousand possible filaments for the light bulb to make it more commercially viable and long lasting. Edison’s filament experiments ranged from platinum to carbonized threads (United). Through Edison’s exploration for the best filament, he was able to create the practical light bulb scientists had been trying to make for over fifty years.
Edison had created a working light bulb. The filament he finally settled on was a carbonized bamboo fiber. The light bulb lasted one thousand two hundred hours (Mr. Naussbaum). The light bulb made it possible for longer work days, including shift work in factories. His invention lead to the exploration of more inventions and technology that would replace what was currently being used. The light bulb replaced oil lamps, candles, street lights, etc., with a longer lasting, and brighter light. Edison’s enhancement of the light bulb lead to the establishment of his company Edison General Electric in …show more content…
Ford was trying to figure out how to make a long lasting battery for an electric car. Thomas Edison began to explore batteries in the 1890’s. The normal lead acid batteries were bulky and corroded away the car they were in. Edison and his team conducted many experiments looking for metal and materials that would work best in a battery. These tests numbered in the thousands and lasted until 1903 when Edison finally declared the battery was finished. Edison made bold claims about his battery. Eventually stories of the batteries leaking or losing power occurred, Edison found his batteries were lighter, but did not significantly outperform the lead acid batteries. After this, Edison shut down his battery production and had the entire battery redesigned. Edison 's new battery, although it used more expensive materials, had much better performance and power. By 1910 Edison 's battery production had started up again but it was too late for the batteries to be in cars. This was because cars had started using gasoline engines which they had found to be more efficient. Edison 's battery was still used because of its reliability, which made it popular for other applications. Some such applications are: backup power for railroad crossing signs and lamps in mines (The Henry). This exploration into better battery materials allowed for a reliable long lasting alkaline battery with several uses