Electric Fields and Potential
PIRA Classification 5B
5B10. Electric Fields
PIRA # |
Demonstration Name |
Abstract |
5B10.10 |
hair on end |
While standing on an insulated stool, charge yourself up with a Van de Graaff generator. |
5B10.11 |
hair on end |
Charge Van de Graaff generator with a Wig on the dome and without grounding ball. |
5B10.13 |
pithball plate and flying balls |
Place a plate with pith ball hanging on strings on an electrostatic generator. Also place a cup filled with styrofoam balls on an electrostatic generator. |
5B10.15 |
Van de Graaff streamers |
Attach ribbon streamers to the top of a Van de Graaff generator. |
5B10.15 |
Van de Graaff streamers |
A small stand with thin paper strips is placed on an electrostatic generator. |
5B10.15 |
Van de Graaff with streamers |
Show Van de Graaff with paper streamers, then hair on end. |
5B10.16 |
recoiling tentacles |
Place the electrostatic plume made out of nylon rope near the other terminal of the Wimshurst machine. |
5B10.21 |
electric rosin |
Melt rosin in a metal ladle and attach to a static machine. When the machine is cranked and the rosin slowly poured out, jets of rosin follow the electric field. |
5B10.22 |
electrostatic painting |
Clip the can to ground and a metal object to be painted to the Van de Graaff generator. Point out that the paint goes around to the back too, and it is thickest on the edges. |
5B10.23 |
MgO smoke |
Fill an unevacuated bell jar with MgO smoke and they will form three dimensional chain-like agglomerates between electrodes. |
5B10.23 |
orbiting foil |
Throw a triangle of aluminum foil into the field of a Van der Graaff and it comes to equilibrium mid-air. Give it a half-twist, and it will orbit in a horizontal circle below the sphere. |
5B10.24 |
charge motion in an electric field |
A charged ball on a dry ice puck is launched toward a Van de Graaff generator. The motion is recorded with strobe photography. |
5B10.25 |
confetti (puffed wheat) |
Confetti (puffed wheat, styrofoam peanuts) flies off the ball of an electrostatic generator. |
5B10.25 |
confetti on electrostatic generator |
Confetti flies off the ball of an electrostatic generator. |
5B10.25 |
streamers |
Fray the end of a nylon clothesline and charge with an electrostatic machine to show repulsion. |
5B10.26 |
eletrified strings |
A bunch of hanging nylon strings are charged by stroking with cellophane causing repulsion. |
5B10.26 |
electrified strings |
Charge a mop of insulating strings. |
5B10.26 |
shooting down charge |
Use the piezoelectric pistol to discharge the electrified strings. |
5B10.30 |
electric chimes |
A ball bounces between charged metal chimes. |
5B10.30 |
electric chimes |
Insert a metalized ping-pong ball between two highly charged metal plates. |
5B10.30 |
electric chimes |
A small metal ball hangs on a thread between two bells attached to an electrostatic machine. |
5B10.30 |
electrostatic ping-pong balls |
Conductive ping pong balls bounce between horizontal plates charged with a Wimshurst. |
5B10.31 |
jumping particles |
Aluminum powder bounces between two horizontal plates 1 cm apart attached to a static machine. Metalized pith balls bounce between an electrode at the top of a bell jar and the plate. |
5B10.32 |
Van de Graaff chime |
Toss a small foil near the charged sphere (see AJP 32(1),xiv - 5B10.33) and then bring a grounded ball close to show the chime effect. |
5B10.33 |
electrostatic ping-pong |
A fluffy cotton ball travels back and forth between an electrostatic generator and a lighted cigar. |
5B10.35 |
electrostatic ping pong |
Bounce a conducting ball hanging between two plates charged with a Wimshurst. |
5B10.40 |
fuzzy fur field tank |
"Fur" in mineral oil aligns along field lines from charged electrodes. |
5B10.40 |
"velveteens" |
Fine black fiber clippings in castor oil are used to show electric field between electrodes. |
5B10.40 |
electric fields between electrodes |
Charged electrodes are placed in a tank of mineral oil containing velveteen and the pattern is projected on the overhead. |
5B10.40 |
fuzzy fur field tank |
Bits of material suspended in oil align with an applied electric field. Several pole arrangements are shown. |
5B10.40 |
electric field |
A pan on the overhead projector contains particles in a liquid that align with the electric field. |
5B10.41 |
repelled air bubbles |
A stream of air bubbles in an oil bath are repelled in the region of an inhomogeneous field. |
5B10.42 |
epsom salt on plate |
Sprinkle Epson salt on a glass plate with two aluminum electrodes. Tap to align the crystals. |
5B10.43 |
ice filament growth |
An ice filament pattern shows the electrical field configuration. Place a PZT transducer on a block of dry ice. |
5B10.50 |
mapping force with "electric doublet |
Two pith balls charged oppositely and hanging from a rod are used to map out the field in the region of charged conductors. |
5B10.51 |
plotting equipotential lines |
A method for plotting equipotential lines from electrodes in a pan on water. |
5B10.52 |
finger on the electrophorus |
Charge and electrophorus., then trace a circle on it with your finger and probe the resulting field with a pith ball on a long thread. |
5B10.53 |
extent of electric field |
Hold an electroscope several feet away from a static machine and observe the electroscope leaves rise and fall as sparking occurs. |
5B10.54 |
mapping field potential, voltage |
A wire held in the flame of a candle and attached to a grounded electroscope is held near a Van de Graaff generator. Mount two candles on a insulator and attach the second to the case of the electroscope to measure voltage. |
5B10.54 |
mapping potential field |
A small alcohol lamp attached to an electrostatic voltmeter can be used to map potential fields. |
5B10.55 |
liquid crystal mapping |
An electrode configuration is painted onto a conducting paper with temperature sensitive encapsulated liquid crystals. Joule heating causes color changes. |
5B10.55 |
liquid crystal mapping |
An alternate method (to AJP 41(12),1314) of preparing liquid crystal displays of electric fields. |
5B10.57 |
double brass plate measurement |
The field around a large sphere is measured by separating two brass plates and measuring the charges with a ballistic galvanometer. |
5B10.58 |
electric field indicator |
A point on the end of a 500 Mohm resistor connects to a neon bulb in parallel with a small capacitor. |
5B10.60 |
electric fields of currents |
Current carrying conductors are made of transparent conducting ink on glass plates. Sprinkle on grass seeds to demonstrate the electric lines of force inside and outside the conducting elements. |
5B10.61 |
electric fields of currents |
Draw a circuit on glass or mylar with a soft lead scoring pencil. Dust the glass with small fibers while the current is flowing. |
5B10.62 |
water drop model of charged particle |
A water drop model demonstrates the motion of a stream of charged particles in an electric field. |
5B10.70 |
other surfaces |
see 8C20.20,1L20.10 |
5B10.70 |
rubber sheet model for fields |
Roll balls over a 6'x4' frame with a stretched rubber surface, distorting it with dowels to represent charges. |
5B10.70 |
model of field potential |
A sheet of rubber is pushed up and down with dowels to represent positive and negative charges. |
5B10.71 |
stretched membrane field model |
A rubber sheet stretched over a large quilting hoop models electric fields. |
5B10.30 [:ElectrostaticBells:Electrostatic Bells]
5B10.31 [:VoltasHailstorm:Volta's Hailstorm]
5B10.45 [:ElectricHair:Electric Hair]
5B20. Gauss' Law
5B20.10 [:FaradayIcePail:Faraday Ice Pail]
5B20.30 [:FaradayCage:Faraday Cage]
5B20.34 [:GaussLaw:Gauss's Law]
5B20.35 [:RadioInACage:Radio In A Cage]
5B30. Electrostatic Potential
5B30.00 [:ElectrostaticRollerBall:Electrostatic Roller Ball]
5B30.20 [:CavendishSpheres:Cavendish Spheres]
5B30.20 [:ChargeDistributionSpheres:Charge Distribution on Conducting Spheres]
5B30.20 [:ZeppelinCharge:Charge Distribution on a Conducting Surface]
5B30.30 [:LightningRod:Lightning Rod]
5B30.40 [:ElectricWind:Electric Wind]
5B30.50 [:ElectrostaticPinwheel:Electrostatic Pinwheel]
5B30.60 [:CottrellPrecipitator:Cottrell Precipitator]
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