Kelvin water dropper
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The Kelvin water dropper, named for Lord Kelvin, is a type of electrostatic generator. Kelvin referred to the device as his water-dropping condenser. The device uses falling water drops to generate voltage differences by utilizing the electrostatic induction[1] occurring between interconnected, oppositely charged systems. [2]
Water runs down from the top, with slightly positively-charged water attracted to the negative ring and slightly negative water attracted to the positive ring. The charged water flows through the ring and into a container. The charges then build up in the ring connected to the container opposite it - attracting even more charge. This results in a positive feedback loop. [3]
[edit] External links
- Demonstration
- Detailed description of device and how to build your own
- European Journal of Physics article "On the Kelvin electrostatic generator"
[edit] References
- ^ http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/hs/journal/issues/2000/Nov/clicSubscriber/V77N11/p1520.pdf
- ^ Brief explanation of the setup
- ^ http://www.csiro.au/helix/experiments/dhexpkelvin.shtml
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