# |
Thumbnail |
Name |
Description |
5A10.10 |
|
Rods and Fur |
By rubbing the rods with the rabbit fur (or other cloths), a net charge is built up on the rod.
You can show how small pieces of paper get attracted, among many other things (separate demos).
|
5A10.20 |
|
Electrophorus |
Used to show the transfer of charge by induction using the Electrophorus. |
5A20.20 |
|
Charging Pith Balls (Induction) |
This demonstration illustrates Induction and Coulomb's law using a pith ball and the rods and fur. |
5A22.10 |
|
Braun Electroscope |
This shows how an electroscope works. When a charge is put on the top plate, it will repel the needle. |
5A22.30 |
|
Gold Leaf Electroscope |
This is a gold leaf electroscope. When a charged rod is brought near,
the two leafs will repel each other because they acquire the same charge. |
5A30.10 |
|
Wire versus String |
This demonstration shows the difference between a conductor and an insulator. |
5A40.20 |
|
Attracted soda can (Induction) |
This demonstration illustrates induction in a metal soda can. |
5A40.23 |
|
Blow soap bubbles at Van de Graff |
This demonstration shows the induction of neutral soap bubbles when they float near the Van de Graff machine.
Initially the bubbles are attracted to the charged dome, but as they get close, some charge leaks from the dome to the bubbles, giving them a net charge of the same sign as the dome, and they are quickly repelled away! |
5A40.30 |
|
Charged rod deflects 2 x 4 |
This demonstration shows induction by being able to rotate a large 2x4 piece of wood. |
5A40.40 |
|
Deflection of a stream of water |
This demonstration shows that a charged rod can deflect a stream of water. |
5A50.10 |
|
Wimshursts Machine |
This machine is used to create electric charge and store it in capacitors (Leyden jars).
When the voltage is high enough for the charge to overcome the air gap at the electrodes, electrostatic breakdown occurs and a spark is seen and heard. |
5A50.30 |
|
Van de Graff Generator |
This is a high voltage Van de Graff generator (~400,000V) used for many electricity demos.
If you put two grounding sources close together, you can change the frequency of discharges thus creating more powerful discharges. |
5B10.10 |
|
Hair on end |
This demonstration illustrates the buildup of charge on someone's hair. |
5B10.15 |
|
Van de Graff streamers |
Place the streamers on the Van de Graff machine. As the streamers get charged, they will follow the electric field lines. |
5B10.25 |
|
Styrofoam peanuts on Van de Graff generator |
This demo shows the buildup of charge on Styrofoam peanuts by the Van de Graff generator. |
5B10.30 |
|
Franklin's Bell (electric chimes) |
A conductive ball is suspended between two vertical parallel plates connected to the Wimshurst machine.
The ball strikes one plate and obtains that charge; it is then repelled by that plate and is attracted to the other plate.
The ball strikes the other plate, is discharged and obtains the charge of the plate it just struck, thus being repelled again.
This sequence soon becomes very rapid and the ball begins to bounce from one plate to the other, sounding like a bell. |
5B10.40 |
|
Electric Field Lines on overhead |
This demonstration visually shows the electric field lines using the overhead projector. |
5B10.51 |
|
Mapping Equipotential lines |
This demonstration uses a voltage probe to view equipotential voltage lines.
Designed to be used on the overhead projector. |
5B20.10 |
|
Surface Charge |
This demo shows that charge on a solid conductor resides entirely on the outer surface.
This is commonly referred to as Faraday's Icepail Experiment and is also the principle of the Van de Graff generator. |
5B20.35 |
|
Faraday Cage |
Radio waves, being electromagnetic in nature, do not penetrate the metal cage because the cage acts as a vertical and horizontal polarizer.
Since radio waves do not enter the Faraday cage, the radio will loose reception. |
5B30.35 |
|
Point and ball with Van de Graff |
This demonstration illustrates how a lightning rod works (as well as any sharp point). |
5B30.50 |
|
Electrostatic Pinwheel |
This demonstration shows that a pinwheel on a Van de Graff generator will spin. |
5C10.10 |
|
Sample Capacitors |
This demonstration shows students the wide variety of capacitors and how different they look. |
5C10.20 |
|
Parallel Plate Capacitor |
This demo uses a large parallel plate capacitor to show that the capacitance varies when the air gap size is changed. |
5C20.10 |
|
Capacitor with Dielectrics |
This demo illustrates the effects of a dielectric on a capacitor. |
5C30.20 |
|
Short a Capacitor |
This demo shows what happens when you short a large capacitor. |
5C30.30 |
|
Light the Bulb |
This demonstrations shows that a large capacitor can light a bulb for several seconds. |
5C30.60 |
|
Residual Charge |
Charge up a Leyden jar and discharge it. Wait a few seconds and then discharge it again. Currently not very effect. We are working on a better demo setup. |
5D10.40 |
|
Resistance Model |
This is a visual model of resistance on a microscopic scale.
When the lead ball hits a nail, this represents resistance to the flow of the "electron". |
5D20.10 |
|
Wire coil in LN2 |
A wire coil is connected in series to a battery and light.
When the wire coil is put in the Liquid Nitrogen, the light bulb will become brighter.
The wire coil's resistance decreased. |
5D20.20 |
|
Wire coil in Flame |
A wire coil is connected in series to a battery and light bulb.
When the wire coil is heated up in the flame, the light bulb becomes dimmer.
The wire coil's resistance increased. |
5D40.10 5K30.50 |
|
Jacob's Ladder |
The Jacob's Ladder uses AC voltage with a transformer made of two wire coils in such a way to step up the voltage.
With an initial gap of about 1cm at the bottom, ~10,000Vac should create an electric arc that rises to the top of the two metal rods.
This process repeats itself. |
5E40.20 |
|
Voltaic Cell |
A voltaic cell is made with copper and zinc electrodes in a sulfuric acid solution. |
5E40.25 |
|
Fruit and Vegetable Battery |
This demonstration uses the energy of two fruit to power a clock. |
5E50.65 |
|
Thermoelectric Fan (Peltier) |
By keeping the plates of a peltier at different temperatures, a current is produced to run the fan. |
5F10.15 |
|
Water Analog (voltage drop and current) |
This is a visual model of a voltage drop and the current.
You may adjust the height of the water bottle to show a change in voltage, and thus current. |
5F15.20 |
|
Hot Dog Cooker |
To show power and energy, apply 120VAC through a hot dog to cook it. |
5F15.32 |
|
Vaporize a wire |
Short a car battery with a wire to burn it.
The car battery is able to supply over 100amps of current for a short time. |
5F20.50 |
|
Series and Parallel Lights |
This configuration shows a set of series and a set of parallel lights connected to AC voltage.
Other things can be shown, such as what happens when you remove a light bulb, or use different wattage bulbs. |
5F30.20 |
|
Charge and discharge an RC circuit |
Use the oscilloscope to show V(t) for a capacitor charging and discharging in an RC circuit. |
5G20.30 |
|
Magnetic Domains (array of arrows) |
This demo shows the magnetic field lines of a magnet on the overhead projector. |
5G20.70 |
|
Small Electromagnet |
This demonstration uses a small electromagnet connected to a 9V battery to pick up the nails.
You can also show if the electromagnet exhibits hysteresis. |
5G20.71 |
|
Electromagnet |
This demonstration illustrates the pieces that make up a simple electromagnet. |
5G30.20 |
|
Paramagnetism of liquid oxygen |
Using a high power magnet, you can show the paramagnetism of liquid oxygen
In general, liquid oxygen is not magnetic, but when an external magnetic field is introduced, the
dipole moments give the material a net magnetic field. |
5G50.10 |
|
Curie point |
A ball of iron is attached to a magnet. Heat the iron near the magnet and it should fall after a few seconds. |
5G50.50 |
|
Meissner effect |
Cool a superconductor with liquid nitrogen and a small magnet floats on it due to magnet repulsion. |
5H10.30 |
|
Magnetic field lines (iron filings) |
This demo shows the magnetic field lines of a magnet on the overhead projector. |
5H15.10 |
|
Iron Filings Around a Wire |
Iron filings are sprinkled around a vertical wire running through plexiglass.
The iron filings align themselves with the magnetic field caused by the current in the wire. |
5H15.40 |
|
Iron Filings Around a Solenoid |
A solenoid is wound through a peice of plexiglass for use with iron filings on the overhead projector.
The iron filings align themselves with the magnetic field caused by the current in the solenoid. (Also see 5H15.10) |
5H20.10 |
|
Magnets on a pivot |
This demonstration shows that a magnet on a pivot will move in response to another magnet close by.
A variation of this is to put both magnets on a pivot and observe that opposite poles attract. |
5H30.10 |
|
Magnet and TV |
This demonstration shows what happens when you bring a magnet near a CRT.
The magnet bends the electron beam so the electrons no longer hit the correct phosphors on the screen,
which messes up the colors. |
5H30.15 |
|
Bending an Electron Beam |
This demonstration shows that a magnetic field can deflect a beam of moving electrons. |
5H30.22 |
|
Magnetic deflection of cathode rays (e/m tube) |
A beam of electrons is propelled vertically. When a current is sent through the Helmholtz coils,
a magnetic field is established perpendicular to the direction of the electron beams and thus deflects the electrons (See picture).
Depending on the magnitude of the magnetic field, the beam can range from slightly bent to a full circle. |
5H40.10 |
|
Parallel Wires (pinching wires) |
This demonstration shows the interaction of current passing through parallel wires.
The wires will pinch (parallel current), while the tin foil will spread apart (anti parallel current). |
5H40.30 |
|
Jumping Wire |
This demonstration shows the interaction between the moving current in a wire in the presence of a magnetic field. |
5H40.71 |
|
Rolling rod (Ampere's motor) |
This demonstration visually shows the interaction between a magnetic field and a current carrying rod. |
5H50.20 |
|
Force on a Current loop |
This demonstration shows the force on a current carrying wire loop in a magnetic field. |
5J10.20 |
|
Inductance Spark (back EMF) |
This demonstration shows that the current stored in an inductor will take the path of least resistance,
in this case the small air gap between the SPST switch when it is opened. |
5J30.10 |
|
RLC ringing (LCR trombone) |
The point of this demo is to show that an LCR (inductor-capacitor-resistor) circuit is a damped harmonic oscillator.
When you give it a kick it oscillates for a while at the frequency omega=2*pi*f=(LC)^-1/2 but the oscillations die out due to dissipation in the resistor.
In this demo, the resistance of the coil provides the R - there is no separate resistor, and the square wave provides periodic kicks.
With each kick, the damped oscillations can be heard as a distinct note, and as the frequency is varied (by sliding the iron core in and out to change L) the note changes. |
5K10.20 |
|
Induction coil with magnet and galvanometer |
This demo shows that a moving magnetic field induces a current in a coil of wire, which can be displayed on an overhead projector.
It also shows that the direction of the moving magnetic field determines the flow of current. |
5K10.27 |
|
Faraday's Flashlight |
This is a "Faraday's Flashlight" as seen on TV.
A magnet moves up and down inside a coil of wire. Current is induced and forced into a capacitor (direction of the moving magnet does not matter).
The LED runs off the capacitor. |
5K20.10 |
|
Eddy current Pendulum |
This demonstration shows the dampening force of a magnet on different discs.
A pendulum is made to swing between the poles of an electromagnet. When the electromagnet is turned on,
discs which allow for eddy currents will be damped, while those that do not allow eddy currents will not stop as fast. |
5K20.20 |
|
Eddy currents in a paddle |
When the conductive paddle is moved in the magnetic field, induced current loops (eddy currents) are produced.
This induced current interacts with the magnetic field to produce an opposing force. Work must be done to overcome this opposing force.
Electrons in the paddle swirl around to produce thermal energy. |
5K20.25 |
|
Magnets and Eddy Tubes |
This demonstration shows the difference eddy currents have on a falling magnet in a tube.
The non magnet will fall down the tube quickly. Repeat with the magnet and it will take much longer. |
5K20.30 |
|
Jumping ring |
This demo shows how an aluminum ring can float around a vertical inductor.
If enough current is applied, the ring will "jump" off the vertical inductor due to opposing magnetic fields. |
5K30.20 |
|
Transformers |
By coupling two coils to each other a transformer is created.
Connect the primary to an AC power supply and read off the voltage of the secondary. Can be used to show a step up or step down transformer.
|
5K40.10 |
|
DC motor |
This demonstration visually shows the interaction between magnets and coils when a current is sent through the coils. |
5K40.80 |
|
Hand Crank Generator |
This demo shows a hand crank generator used to light up a bulb. |
5L10.10 |
|
Variable Inductance (Dimmer) |
This demonstration shows that a variable inductor connected in series with a light bulb will dim as the inductance is increased. |
5L30.36 |
|
High Pass / Low Pass Filter |
This demonstration allows students to see the effects an inductor and capacitor have on an AC source. |
5N10.90 |
|
EM wave production (Mad scientist Radio) |
An electrostatic generator creates EM waves that can be viewed on the oscilloscope. |
5N20.10 |
|
Induction coil |
This is a very old tesla coil. |
5N20.25 |
|
Hand Held Tesla coil |
This is a portable tesla coil.
Can be used as any other tesla coil. |
5N20.40 5N20.50 5N20.55 5N20.60 |
|
Tesla Coil Tesla coil and Fluorescent Light Electrodeless Discharge Tesla coil and Skin Effect |
This demo uses a tesla coil to illuminate a fluorescent light bulb
The high frequency and high voltage will actually excite the gas in the fluorescent tube. |