Electricity
Van de Graaff with Aluminum Plates
Shows that 'like' charges repel. Use double sided tape
to
fasten an aluminum foil pie plate to the top of a Van de Graaff
generator.
Then stack a dozen more foil plates on top of the first one. When the
Van
de Graaff is turned on the plates float off one at a time, except of
course
for the taped on one.
Van
de Graaff with Person and Plume
In this classic demonstration a person is insulated
from
the ground by standing on a board supported by four dry drinking
glasses,
then charged up to many thousand volts. This demonstration is best done
with caution. We've been told that metal in shoes and under the
floor, can cause discharge and an alarming, though not dangerous,
shock.
Make sure the person is not using a pacemaker. This demostration works
best with long, straight, fine hair. Their hair will stand on end if
clean
and dry. This again shows that like charges repel, but it also shows
that
voltage and energy are not the same, and that a complete circuit is
needed
for a sustained current.
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