120,000 Volt Van De Graaff Generator

Step 8 What's the voltage Kenneth?

The breakdown voltage for dry air at sea level is commonly given as 3 million volts/meter. So for every centimeter of spark you have 30,000 volts. So far my longest recorded spark is 40mm or 120,000 volts.

Comments

[mujeebmurtaza95]

will this make your hair stand on the end or not....please tell, i need it 4 a science project!!

[ixonstater]

yes, it will

[sam971221]

Thanx.
Sooooo useful.

[krissy551]

who is going to make this he/she said that it was 120,000 VOLT!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jodex]

You're not going to die if you'd touch it. It doesn't have much amperes. Amperes are the ones that kills you. Did you know that when you're petting your cat there's over 15 000 volts, but next to no amperes, just couple of micro amperes.

[king bob shaye the 3rd]

if you complaining about it wasting electricity put a hand crank on it

[the_burrito_master]

would you say this thing actually generates electricity or dose it use more than it makes?

[paper plane master]

they shouldent be called genorators really all they are is converters

[the_burrito_master]

well the electricity gets used in the motor only so it dose "generate" static electricity.

[Xellers]

no machine of any kind can even be 100% efficent.

[Xellers]

According to the laws of thermodynamics, no energy transfer can be 100% efficent, so no, this doesn't create more energy than it uses. It acts more like an extremely high voltage static power source.

[the_burrito_master]

yeah I figured that out since i posted it after I started understanding more about voltage and amps and stuff

[the_burrito_master]

btw my dad wont let me build this because he thinks "I will blow myself up" XD ROFL

[knoxarama]

my dad just says don't blow the house up while i'm doing it.

[Xellers]

This is actually perfectly safe because t's static electricity and the current is so low, but build a marx generator, and you're gone...

[rivetgeek]

being static electricity doesnt make it safe. Lightening is static electricity. But yes, this project is safe because the current is like .1mA

[Xellers]

I know, and actually, its probably more like 0.0001 mA.

[the_burrito_master]

yep I saw one of those in action one it was like a thunder storm 20 ft away. it was in a metal cage and the guy running it told some kids to hold onto the cage and wave good by to there parents... by then I was getting all excited I was hoping to see some gore... then he turned it on and nothing happened. I was bummed out. ok I was joking about the gore and stuff but the did go and hold on to the cage.

[Kryptonite]

Was this at Questacon by any chance?

[the_burrito_master]

I have no idea where it was. I don't think it was there. it wsa a special for that week so apparently he moves around.

[Kryptonite]

Hmm, ok. Just wondering because then I wouldn't be the only Canberran on this site... Well, apart from my friend from school.