Van de Graaff Generator facts for kids
A Van de Graaff generator is an electrostatic machine. It uses a moving, nonmetallic belt to accumulate very high voltages on a hollow metal globe. Voltage differences achieved in modern Van de Graaff generators can reach 5 megavolts. Applications for these high voltage generators include driving X-ray tubes, accelerating electrons to sterilize food and process materials, and accelerating protons for nuclear physics experiments. The Van de Graaff generator can be thought of as a constant-current source connected in parallel with a capacitor and a very large electrical resistance. It is named after the American physicist Robert Jemison Van de Graaff, who built the first generators of this style in 1929.
Images for kids
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Spark by the largest air-insulated Van de Graaff generator in the world at The Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts
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This Van de Graaff generator of the first Hungarian linear particle accelerator achieved 700 kV during 1951 and 1000 kV during 1952.
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A Van de Graaff particle accelerator in a pressurized tank at Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris
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See also
In Spanish: Generador de Van de Graaff para niños
