Editing VanDeGraaff Generator (section)

== What to Say ==

Standard Discharge
    This is the same principle as lightning and static electricity. A charge builds up on the generator and transfers/jumps to an area with less charge. (You can use a diffusion analogy such as people moving out of a crowded room when the door opens.) You can talk about how electricity likes to move toward the ground. (It is like a mole.) It will take the path of least resistance (the easiest way to get to the ground). This is the how lightning works and why lightning rods are attached to the ground.

Wig – Like Charges Repel
    Each of the hairs becomes charged. Since they all have the same charge, they repel each other and stand up. (You can compare to magnets or any other situation in which there are two of the same objects that don’t “get along”.)

“Airplane People” – Like Charges Repel

Metal cup – The metal cup, being a conductor, gets the charge and spreads it out over its surface. So, the peanuts don’t get a charge on them. 

Plastic cup – The plastic cup, being an insulator, gets a charge only on the bottom, which is touching the generator. Then, the charge moves to the peanuts. The like charges of the peanuts repel. So, they try to move away, and the only way to go is up. You can now tell how this relates to airplanes. The airplane picks up a charge from the air (through friction) like a cloud does. This is why planes are made of metal.

Bell – Transfer of Charges, Like Charges Repel, & Conservation of Charge
    The charge first moves from the generator into the closest bell. It then moves from the bell and into the ball. The like charges then repel, and the ball moves and hits the second bell. Upon striking the bell, the ball loses its charge. It is no longer repelled by a charge, so it falls back and strikes the first bell. It picks up another charge and repeats. This will continue long after the machine is off. This happens because the bell holds onto its charge. You can make an analogy to a hitchhiker. A hitchhiker (the charge) will move from place to place but doesn’t go away.

Fluorescent Light – Induced Charge
    The fluorescent light will pick up a charge from the surrounding electric field created by the generator because it is the faster way for the electricity to reach the ground. The electric field acts like the plug in your house. When the light is connected to it, the electricity can flow through and light it up.

~ High School and older –

At the bottom of the generator, there is a piece of wire mesh. The wire mesh is connected to the internal mechanics (the motor) of the machine. So, it basically is getting the charge from the electricity in the wall. The rubber belt, being an insulator, picks up the charge (not just any old charge) from the wire mesh and carries it to the top. At the top, the charge is transferred to yet another wire mesh which is connected to the large metal ball. The charge can then disperse over the surface of the ball.

~ Middle School and under –

At the bottom of the generator, there is a piece of metal connected to a motor. The metal picks up a charge and puts it on the belt. The belt carries the charge to the top where it spreads out over the large ball. (Put in analogies if you think they are necessary for comprehension. Most likely this would happen with very young audiences.)