Van de Graaff - Cotton Ball

 

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 Code Number :   5B10.33

Disclaimer:

Reprinted by permission of Dick Berg, University of Maryland, for use on this website.

The demonstrations contained and referenced herein are listed for the purposes of cataloging and describing physics demonstrations which should be conducted only under the direction of a trained instructional support professional or physicist. These demonstrations are not presented for the purpose of being conducted by persons unconnected to this Facility and/or persons not consulting with or being supervised by the recognized instructional support professional or physicist and his/her staff. The University is responsible only for those demonstrations carried out using its own equipment using established safety and scheduling policies, and bears no responsibility for those choosing to use this source material for their own purposes. All demonstrations described and contained herein are public domain, and can also be found in reference materials in libraries, bookstores, and electronic sources.

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Condition :   Good   
Principle :   Electrostatics  
Area of Study :  Electricity & Magnetism  
Equipment :   Van de Graaff, cigar or cigarette, grill lighter, and cotton.

 
Procedure :   Light the cigar and place it about 2 ft from the Van de Graaff dome.  Take a small piece of cotton and try to insert it between the dome and the cigar while the Van de Graaff is running.  When done correctly the cotton ball will bounce back and forth between the dome and the cigar.
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   References

Jack L. Smith,  "Demonstrating Electric Fields,"  TPT, Vol. 27, # 5, p. 358, (May 1989).

Mario Iona, "Flying Fur", TPT, Vol. 25, # 3, Mar. 1987, p. 135.

Eugene H. Waldroup, "Response", TPT, Vol. 25, # 3, Apr. 1987, p. 136.

Eugene H. Waldroup, "Electric Field in the Vicinity of Charged Spheres", TPT, Vol. 24, # 4, Apr. 1986, p. 232.

James Vokac, William Blunk, "Soda Straws", TPT, Vol. 23, # 9, Dec. 1985, p. 567 - 568.

 

Ec- 6:  Freier and Anderson,  A Demonstration Handbook for Physics.



Mail Questions and Comments to:  Dale Stille