--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Alternate currents, especially of high…" description: "\"Alternate currents, especially of high frequencies, pass with astonishing freedom through even slightly rarefied gases. The upper strata of the air are..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/nikola-tesla-1383_air_alternate-currents-especially-of-high-fr_2993064.jpg" --- # Alternate currents, especially of high frequencies, pass… ![“Alternate currents, especially of high frequencies, pass with astonishing freedom through even slightly rarefied gases. The upper strata of the air are rarefied. To reach a number of miles out into space requires the overcoming of difficulties of a merely mechanical nature.” quote by Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/nikola-tesla-1383_air_alternate-currents-especially-of-high-fr_2993064.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/nikola-tesla-1383_air_alternate-currents-especially-of-high-fr_2993064.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/nikola-tesla-1383_air_alternate-currents-especially-of-high-fr_2993064.jpg) > “Alternate currents, especially of high frequencies, pass with astonishing freedom through even slightly rarefied gases. The upper strata of the air are rarefied. To reach a number of miles out into space requires the overcoming of difficulties of a merely mechanical nature.” [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes how high‑frequency currents travel through rarefied air, hinting at challenges of space travel. **In simple terms:** High frequencies move easily through thin air, but space travel needs more. Key Takeaway Explore physics of atmospheric and space environments. Themes physics frequency space travel atmosphere Mood inquisitive analytical Type scientific technical When to use this quote - aviation - spacecraft design - research labs Key Concepts electromagnetism aerodynamics Questions to Reflect On - What practical uses arise from this knowledge? - How does atmospheric rarity affect communication? A Different Perspective Technical jargon may limit accessibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) [Alternate Currents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alternate-currents-4713135/) [Astonishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishing/) [Currents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/currents/) [Difficulty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficulty/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Frequency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frequency/) [Gases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gases/) [Gases Upper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gases-upper-4713134/) [Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miles/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Overcoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcoming/) [Rarefied Gases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rarefied-gases-4713133/) [Rarefied Reach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rarefied-reach-4713136/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) ## Related quotes > [When a coil is operated with currents of very high frequency, beautiful brush effects may be produced, even if the coil be of comparatively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/when-a-coil-is-operated-with-currents-of-very-high-frequency/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Our entire biological system, the brain, and the Earth itself, work on the same frequencies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/our-entire-biological-system-the-brain-and-the-earth-itself-work-on/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/if-you-want-to-find-the-secrets-of-the-universe-think-in-terms-of-3/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Alpha waves in the human brain are between 6 and 8 hertz. The wave frequency of the human cavity resonates between 6 and 8…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/alpha-waves-in-the-human-brain-are-between-6-and-8-hertz-the-wave/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [One surprise is how deeply the food system is implicated in climate change. I don't think that has really been on people's radar until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/one-surprise-is-how-deeply-the-food-system-is-implicated-in-climate/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [That's right-the striking thing about greenhouse gases is the diversity of sources that emit them. A herd of cattle belching can be worse than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/that-s-right-the-striking-thing-about-greenhouse-gases-is-the/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Sending a container from Shanghai to Le Havre emits fewer greenhouse gases than the truck that takes the container on to Lyon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-george/sending-a-container-from-shanghai-to-le-havre-emits-fewer-greenhouse/) [Rose George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-george/) > [All I know is that these two gases both had a quite extraordinary effect, and that there was no respirator, and no protection against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-speer/all-i-know-is-that-these-two-gases-both-had-a-quite-extraordinary/) [Albert Speer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-speer/) > [Why does everybody agree that atmospheric oxygen comes from life, but no one speaks about the other gases coming from life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-margulis/why-does-everybody-agree-that-atmospheric-oxygen-comes-from-life-but/) [Lynn Margulis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-margulis/) > [Even if we were to stop putting out greenhouse gases right now, we'd still face decades of warming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamais-cascio/even-if-we-were-to-stop-putting-out-greenhouse-gases-right-now-we-d/) [Jamais Cascio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamais-cascio/) > [“Bodies that drown in deep water may never surface.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/bodies-that-drown-in-deep-water-may-never-surface/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [According to the kinetic theory of gases, the mean kinetic energy of a molecule is a measure of absolute temperature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-wien/according-to-the-kinetic-theory-of-gases-the-mean-kinetic-energy-of-a/) [Wilhelm Wien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-wien/) > [I am sure vegetarians must also account for a lot of gases. Look how many beans they eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-worrall-thompson/i-am-sure-vegetarians-must-also-account-for-a-lot-of-gases-look-how/) [Antony Worrall Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-worrall-thompson/) > [Eighty percent of flavor comes from your nose, including a set of internal nostrils. When you chew food and hold it in your mouth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/eighty-percent-of-flavor-comes-from-your-nose-including-a-set-of/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [One volcano in Hawaii, one volcano in Indonesia, produces enough gases in the atmosphere, which include those natural elements that are in the Earth's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gibbons/one-volcano-in-hawaii-one-volcano-in-indonesia-produces-enough-gases/) [Jim Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gibbons/) ## More by Nikola Tesla > [From childhood I was compelled to concentrate attention upon myself. This caused me much suffering, but to my present view, it was a blessing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/from-childhood-i-was-compelled-to-concentrate-attention-upon-myself/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [In a time not distant, it will be possible to flash any image formed in thought on a screen and render it visible at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/in-a-time-not-distant-it-will-be-possible-to-flash-any-image-formed/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Women will ignore precedent and startle civilization with their progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/women-will-ignore-precedent-and-startle-civilization-with-their/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Great moments are born great opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/great-moments-are-born-great-opportunity/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [ If he \[Thomas Edison\] had a needle to find in a haystack, he would not stop to reason where it was most likely to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/if-he-thomas-edison-had-a-needle-to-find-in-a-haystack-he-would-not/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Man, like the universe, is a machine. Nothing enters our minds or determines our actions which is not directly or indirectly a response to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/man-like-the-universe-is-a-machine-nothing-enters-our-minds-or/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/the-day-science-begins-to-study-non-physical-phenomena-it-will-make/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [All knowledge or form conception is evoked through the medium of the eye, either in response to disturbances directly received on the retina or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/all-knowledge-or-form-conception-is-evoked-through-the-medium-of-the/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Every living being is an engine geared to the wheelwork of the universe. Though seemingly affected only by its immediate surrounding, the sphere of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/every-living-being-is-an-engine-geared-to-the-wheelwork-of-the-2/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Perhaps I failed, but I did my best, These masters of mine may do the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/perhaps-i-failed-but-i-did-my-best-these-masters-of-mine-may-do-the/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Religion is simply an ideal. It is an ideal force that tends to free the human being from material bonds. I do not believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/religion-is-simply-an-ideal-it-is-an-ideal-force-that-tends-to-free/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [What we now want is closer contact and better understanding between individuals and communities all over the earth, and the elimination of egoism and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/what-we-now-want-is-closer-contact-and-better-understanding-between/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [When a coil is operated with currents of very high frequency, beautiful brush effects may be produced, even if the coil be of comparatively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/when-a-coil-is-operated-with-currents-of-very-high-frequency/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Of all the frictional resistances, the one that most retards human movement is ignorance, what Buddha called 'the greatest evil in the world.' The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/of-all-the-frictional-resistances-the-one-that-most-retards-human/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [I am even grateful to Einstein and others because through their erroneous theories they lead mankind away from that dangerous path I followed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/i-am-even-grateful-to-einstein-and-others-because-through-their/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) [Explore all 248 Nikola Tesla quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) ## More Air quotes > [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/) [Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) [Browse all 6,278 Air quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Alternate currents, especially of high frequencies, pass with astonishing freedom through even slightly rarefied gases. The upper strata of the air are rarefied. To reach a number of miles out into space requires the overcoming of difficulties of a merely mechanical nature.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nikola Tesla" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/alternate-currents-especially-of-high-frequencies-pass-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Air" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/alternate-currents-especially-of-high-frequencies-pass-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/nikola-tesla-1383_air_alternate-currents-especially-of-high-fr_2993064.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/nikola-tesla-1383_air_alternate-currents-especially-of-high-fr_2993064.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/nikola-tesla-1383_air_alternate-currents-especially-of-high-fr_2993064.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Alternate currents, especially of high frequencies, pass with astonishing freedom through even slightly…” — Nikola Tesla", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nikola Tesla", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Alternate currents, especially of high frequencies,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/alternate-currents-especially-of-high-frequencies-pass-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/alternate-currents-especially-of-high-frequencies-pass-with/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```