Van de Graaff Generators: Construction & Demonstrations

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written by William Beaty

This web site, authored by an electrical engineer, contains a collection of activities and background information on the operation and maintenance of van de Graaff generators. It provides detailed instructions for building your own van de Graaff, along with lists of recommended commercial suppliers. Safety precautions and troubleshooting tips are designed to help novices perform successful demonstrations and experiments.

This resource is part of a larger set of materials on electrostatics by the same author.

http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/emotor/vdg.html

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Electricity & Magnetism - Electrostatics = Electrostatic Machines	- Informal Education - High School - Lower Undergraduate	- Collection - Reference Material

Appropriate Courses	Categories	Ratings
- Physical Science - Physics First - Conceptual Physics - Algebra-based Physics - AP Physics	- Activity - New teachers	Currently 0.0/5 Want to rate this material? Login here!

Intended Users:: Learner
Educator
Format:: text/html
Access Rights:: Free access
Restriction:: Does not have a copyright, license, or other use restriction.
Keywords:: Van de Graaff Generators, electrostatics, high school demonstrations, static electricity
Record Creator:: Date Metadata Instance was created March 26, 2003 by Karen Bottoms
Record Updated:: December 18, 2010 by Taha Mzoughi
Other Collections:: The PSRC

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This resource is part of a Physics Front Topical Unit.

Topic: "Static" Electricity
Unit Title: Charge Interaction

The Van de Graaff generator, invented in 1929, is an example of a nearly ideal current source, as it can supply the same small current at almost any electric potential. This site offers information needed to understand the operation and maintenance of Van de Graaff generators. The author includes helpful hints for classroom demonstrations.

Link to Unit:

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<a href="https://www.compadre.org/precollege/items/detail.cfm?ID=33">Beaty, William. Van de Graaff Generators: Construction & Demonstrations.</a>

AIP Format

W. Beaty, , WWW Document, (http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/emotor/vdg.html).

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W. Beaty, Van de Graaff Generators: Construction & Demonstrations, <http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/emotor/vdg.html>.

APA Format

Beaty, W. (n.d.). Van de Graaff Generators: Construction & Demonstrations. Retrieved October 13, 2024, from http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/emotor/vdg.html

Chicago Format

Beaty, William. Van de Graaff Generators: Construction & Demonstrations. http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/emotor/vdg.html (accessed 13 October 2024).

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Beaty, William. Van de Graaff Generators: Construction & Demonstrations. 13 Oct. 2024 <http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/emotor/vdg.html>.

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@misc{ Author = "William Beaty", Title = {Van de Graaff Generators: Construction & Demonstrations}, Volume = {2024}, Number = {13 October 2024}, Year = {} }

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%A William Beaty %T Van de Graaff Generators: Construction & Demonstrations %U http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/emotor/vdg.html %O text/html

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%0 Electronic Source %A Beaty, William %T Van de Graaff Generators: Construction & Demonstrations %V 2024 %N 13 October 2024 %9 text/html %U http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/emotor/vdg.html

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Van de Graaff Generators: Construction & Demonstrations:

Covers the Same Topic As MIT Physics 8.02: Electrostatics - A van de Graaff Generator Repelling a Charge

This animation by the MIT Physics Department helps students visualize the repellent force that exists between the positively-charged van de Graaff sphere and a single positively-charged particle.

relation by Caroline Hall

Covers the Same Topic As MIT Physics 8.02: Electrostatics - A van de Graaff Generator Attracting a Charge

This animation by the MIT physics department helps students visualize the attractive force that exists between the positively-charged van de Graaff sphere and a single negatively-charged particle.

relation by Caroline Hall

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