20 Tesla Diner Quiz Questions and Answers

1. Question: Who invented the alternating current (AC) electrical system?
Options:
a) Thomas Edison
b) Nikola Tesla
c) Albert Einstein
d) Benjamin Franklin
Answer: b) Nikola Tesla
Explanation: Nikola Tesla developed the AC electrical system, which is more efficient for long-distance power transmission than Edison’s direct current (DC) system.

2. Question: In which year was Nikola Tesla born?
Options:
a) 1847
b) 1856
c) 1879
d) 1892
Answer: b) 1856
Explanation: Nikola Tesla was born on July 10, 1856, in Smiljan, which was then part of the Austrian Empire.

3. Question: What was the name of Tesla’s most famous laboratory in New York?
Options:
a) Edison Labs
b) Wardenclyffe Tower
c) Menlo Park
d) Palo Alto Research Center
Answer: b) Wardenclyffe Tower
Explanation: Wardenclyffe Tower was Tesla’s laboratory and wireless transmission station on Long Island, intended for global wireless communication.

4. Question: Which invention did Tesla patent that led to the modern radio?
Options:
a) The light bulb
b) The radio transmitter
c) The telephone
d) The X-ray machine
Answer: b) The radio transmitter
Explanation: Tesla’s work on radio frequency oscillators and his 1890s patents formed the basis for radio technology, though Guglielmo Marconi is often credited.

5. Question: What was Tesla’s nationality at birth?
Options:
a) American
b) Serbian
c) German
d) Italian
Answer: b) Serbian
Explanation: Tesla was born in the village of Smiljan in what is now Croatia, but he was ethnically Serbian and considered himself Yugoslav.

6. Question: Which of these was not one of Tesla’s inventions?
Options:
a) Induction motor
b) Tesla coil
c) Airplane
d) Alternator
Answer: c) Airplane
Explanation: While Tesla had ideas about flight, he did not invent the airplane; that credit goes to the Wright brothers.

7. Question: How did Tesla primarily fund his experiments?
Options:
a) Government grants
b) Personal wealth
c) Patents and licensing deals
d) Crowdfunding
Answer: c) Patents and licensing deals
Explanation: Tesla earned money from licensing his AC patents to companies like Westinghouse, which helped fund his research.

8. Question: What was the “War of Currents”?
Options:
a) A battle between Tesla and Edison over AC vs. DC
b) A world war involving electricity
c) Tesla’s dispute with Marconi
d) An invention competition in Europe
Answer: a) A battle between Tesla and Edison over AC vs. DC
Explanation: The War of Currents was a rivalry in the late 19th century where Tesla’s AC system competed against Edison’s DC for electrical power standards.

9. Question: In which city did Tesla move to in 1884 to work for Edison?
Options:
a) Paris
b) New York
c) London
d) Vienna
Answer: b) New York
Explanation: Tesla immigrated to New York in 1884 and briefly worked for Thomas Edison before starting his own projects.

10. Question: What did Tesla claim he could transmit using his wireless technology?
Options:
a) Only signals
b) Electricity and information wirelessly
c) Only sound
d) Nuclear energy
Answer: b) Electricity and information wirelessly
Explanation: Tesla envisioned a world with wireless transmission of electricity, as demonstrated in his experiments at Colorado Springs.

11. Question: Which award did Tesla win in 1917?
Options:
a) Nobel Prize
b) Edison Medal
c) Pulitzer Prize
d) Grammy Award
Answer: b) Edison Medal
Explanation: Despite their rivalry, Tesla was awarded the Edison Medal by the American Institute of Electrical Engineers in 1917 for his contributions to science.

12. Question: What is a Tesla coil primarily used for?
Options:
a) Generating high-frequency electricity
b) Powering cars
c) Storing data
d) Creating artificial intelligence
Answer: a) Generating high-frequency electricity
Explanation: The Tesla coil is a resonant transformer circuit used to produce high-voltage, low-current electricity, often seen in demonstrations of electrical discharges.

13. Question: How many patents did Nikola Tesla hold by the end of his life?
Options:
a) Over 300
b) Exactly 100
c) Less than 50
d) None
Answer: a) Over 300
Explanation: Tesla obtained around 300 patents during his lifetime, covering inventions in electrical engineering and other fields.

14. Question: What caused Tesla’s death?
Options:
a) A car accident
b) Coronary thrombosis
c) Electrocution
d) Old age
Answer: b) Coronary thrombosis
Explanation: Tesla died on January 7, 1943, from coronary thrombosis, a blood clot in the heart, at the age of 86.

15. Question: Which of Tesla’s ideas influenced modern wireless technology?
Options:
a) Remote control devices
b) Steam engines
c) Mechanical clocks
d) Fossil fuels
Answer: a) Remote control devices
Explanation: Tesla demonstrated the first remote-controlled boat in 1898, laying the groundwork for modern wireless communication and control systems.

16. Question: Where is the Nikola Tesla Museum located?
Options:
a) New York, USA
b) Belgrade, Serbia
c) London, UK
d) Paris, France
Answer: b) Belgrade, Serbia
Explanation: The Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade houses his personal items, documents, and inventions, established in 1952.

17. Question: What was Tesla’s view on free energy?
Options:
a) He believed it was impossible
b) He thought it could be harnessed from the environment
c) He opposed it entirely
d) He patented it for profit
Answer: b) He thought it could be harnessed from the environment
Explanation: Tesla believed in drawing energy from natural sources like the Earth’s atmosphere, as part of his wireless energy transmission concepts.

18. Question: Which company did Tesla work for that led to his break with Edison?
Options:
a) Westinghouse
b) General Electric
c) Siemens
d) RCA
Answer: a) Westinghouse
Explanation: Tesla’s partnership with George Westinghouse to promote AC power directly competed with Edison’s interests, leading to their professional split.

19. Question: What did Tesla experiment with in Colorado Springs?
Options:
a) Wireless energy transmission
b) Solar panels
c) Wind turbines
d) Battery technology
Answer: a) Wireless energy transmission
Explanation: In 1899, Tesla conducted experiments in Colorado Springs on wireless transmission of electrical energy, using a large coil to produce artificial lightning.

20. Question: How is Tesla’s legacy remembered today?
Options:
a) Through electric cars named after him
b) Only in history books
c) As a failed inventor
d) In fashion design
Answer: a) Through electric cars named after him
Explanation: The electric car company Tesla, Inc., founded by Elon Musk, honors Nikola Tesla’s contributions to electrical engineering and innovation.