ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY: DEMONSTRATIONS OF FUNDAMENTALS OF STATIC ELECTRICITY USING A VAN DE GRAF GENERATOR:
The standard Van de Graf generator can be used to illustrate:
Voltages up to about 400KV. Low current device is reasonably safe - EXCEPT FOR ANY FORM OF COMPUTER, VLSI ELECTRONICS, MEDICAL ELECTRONICS AND THE LIKE!! KEEP ALL THESE ITEMS AT A SAFE DISTANCE.
Contact separation listing:
Contact between any two materials causes charge to separate as shown. Example: Aluminum and polyethelene -> Aluminum goes positive and polyethylene goes negative.
+ mica, wool, nylon, glass, silk, aluminum, cotton, wood, plexiglass, was, PVC, polystyrene, polyethylene, rubber, teflon, saranwrap -
©2000. John Hart, University of Colorado