Electric Fields and Potential

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What it shows:

A 2000 μF...

What it shows:

The electrical energy stored in a capacitor is converted to mechanical work, driving a motor and raising a weight.

How it works:

A motor ¹ is mounted atop a 2.5m length of 2×4. As it turns, it raises a 1 lb mass on a string from the ground...

What it shows:

Determine the capacitance of the human body as follows. Charge a person of unkown capacitance to 1000 volts. The person is subsequently connected (in parallel) to an external capacitor of known capacitance. The voltage measured across the...

What it shows:

The basic principles of the parallel plate capacitor made large.

How it works:

The capacitance C of a simple parallel plate capacitor is given by

What it shows:

A lecturer's faith in the principle that an electric field cannot exist inside a charged conductor is put to the test using a Faraday cage that is large enough to sit in.

How it works:

The lecturer (or some volunteer) climbs the three steps...

How does shielding work? Is it a two-way street and work both ways? Can electric fields not penetrate metals? What's going on? This sequence of demonstrations addresses these questions.

What it shows:

(1) Shielding the inside from the outside. It is well...

A replica of Franklin's Thunder House demonstating the efficacy of his invention—the lightning rod. The class will get a charge out of this one.

A neutral conductor (or dielectric) experiences a torque, but no net force, when placed in a uniform electric field. It does experience a net force in a non-uniform field.

What it shows:

When an electrically neutral object is suspended in a uniform electric...