Electricity and Magnetism

5B30.50: Electrostatic pinwheel



Description: This demonstration shows that a pinwheel on a Van de Graff generator will spin.

Equipment: Setup Procedure:
  1. Plug the Van de Graff machine into a table with a three prong plug (ground prong); else you risk getting shocked when turning it off.
  2. Connect the metal discharge wand to the black grounding post on the Van de Graff machine.
  3. With the machine off, set the speed to about 1/2 speed.
Demonstration Procedure:
  1. Balance the pinwheel on the top of the Van de Graff dome.
  2. Turn the Van de Graff machine on while holding the discharge wand in the other hand.
  3. Note that the Pinwheel starts to rotate. This is because electric fields concentrate at a point, so when voltage gets high enough, ions will spray off the point into the air. Like charges repel - the point will push the air away, and the air will push the point away.
High Voltage
Due to the high voltage, keep away from sensitive electronics.

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