Electric field created by Van de Graff splits ions in flame
5B30.40 • D+10+35
A candle flame is hot enough to experience some charge separation. When a flame is placed inside a strong electric field, in this case generated by the Van de Graff charging a capacitor, the positive and negative ions separate and are pulled in different directions and this causes the flame to sputter and pull both to the right and left. A camera can be used to make the effect visible to an entire classroom.
Usage
Spring 2015 - Fall 2023
16
reservations across 5
classes
Related Demos
D+10+0 Electric fields: Lines of force shown on an OHP. D+10+2 Transparency: Mapping of an electric field. D+10+4 Pith balls on thread, with positive and negative charged rods. D+10+5 Vector arrows to show electric field and particle motion D+10+6 Attraction and repulsion of charged styrofoam balls. D+10+8 Braun and Leaf electroscopes. D+10+9 Discharging an electroscope through ionization D+10+10 Faraday's ice pail: Charge induced on the outside of a pail. D+10+11 Alternate charge resides on outside of conductor D+10+12 Charge resides on the outside of a conductor. D+10+13 Faraday cage: blocks signal from portable radio D+10+14 Charging an electroscope by induction. D+10+16 Separation of charge using electrical tape and an electroscope. D+10+18 Electrophorous: Cat fur on teflon, acetate on lucite. D+10+20 Van de Graaff generator. D+10+22 Wimshurst machine, large or small. D+10+24 Electrostatic pinwheel:Van de Graaff makes pinwheel spin. D+10+25 Like Charges Attract D+10+26 Various Leyden jars to show. D+10+28 Electrostatic doorbell: Ball bangs between charged plates. D+10+30 Kelvin water drop electrostatic charge generator.