Electrostatics; Exploring, Controlling and Using Static Electricity, Including the Dirod Manual Book

	About the Author	9
	Publisher's Foreword	11
	Electrostatics Society of America	12
	Author's Preface	13
Part 1	Electrostatics
1.	High Voltage	19
	Electrical Hazards	19
	Discharges from Small Electrostatic Generators	20
2.	Frictional Electricity	22
	The World's First Generator	22
	Friction-type Generators	23
	The Van de Graaff Generator	24
	Frictional Electricity: Troubles and Hazards	25
	What Goes On Here?	26
3.	Let's Talk About Charges	28
	What This Chapter Will Do for You	28
	Atoms, Protons, Electrons, and Ions	29
	Some Practice with Big Numbers	30
	A Little Aluminum Cube	31
	An Enormous Force	31
	What Is Charge?	32
4.	The Dirods: Induction-type Generators	34
	Induced Charges	34
	Collecting the Charges	37
	Generator Buildup, and Compound Interest	37
	Where Does a Dirod Get Its Initial Charge?	38
	How Do the Charges Move Around? The Electron Cloud	39
	Conduction and Conductors	40
	The Dirod Family	40
5.	Improving the Generator--Learning More about Electrostatics	45
	More Rods and Faster Build-up	45
	Generator Spark-over: the Spark Shield	48
	The Brush Problem	49
	What Comes Next?	50
6.	Electric Fields	51
	The Field of Two Parallel Rods	51
	The Nonuniform Field	52
	Potential Difference and Field Intensity	54
	Electric Flux	55
	More about Forces: the Coulomb Force	55
	Alignment with the Field: Field Shape Indicator	57
	A Nonuniform Field and the Uniform Field	58
	The Sphere Gap and the Rod Gap	59
	Induction of Charge, and Field Shape	60
	Conductors and Insulators in a Field	61
	Faraday's Famous Ice Pail Experiment	62
	The Faraday Cage	63
7.	Corona	65
	Visible Corona	65
	Active and Passive Electrodes: The Breakdown of Air	66
	More about Corona in a Dirod	68
	Balanced Corona, and an Analogy	70
	Generator Voltage Not Fixed by Speed	71
	Suppressing Corona	71
8.	The Electric Wind; Other Corona Effects; Precipitation	73
	The Electric Fly, or Pinwheel	73
	The Electric Blower	74
	Demonstration of Smoke Precipitation	77
	The Uncertain Soap Bubble	78
	The Electric Wind and the Candle Flame	80
	Electrostatic Precipitation Put to Use	80
	How These Precipitators Work	82
9.	More Demonstrations; Separation of Mixtures	85
	The Little Island That Runs Away	85
	The Electrified Water Spray	86
	The Clapper	87
	Franklin's Electrostatic Motor	88
	The Dirod as a Motor	91
	The Interdigital Motor	91
	The Plateful of Balls	92
	The Ball Box	93
	The Electrostatic Separation Industry	95
	Demonstrations with Liquids	96
	One Type of Electrostatic Separator	96
	Separation without Corona	97
10.	More Service from Corona: Electrocoating	98
	Electrostatic Sandpaper	98
	Carpets, Upholstery, and Velvet Walls	100
	Insecticides	100
	Xerox	101
	Electrostatic Printing	102
	Electrostatic Spray Painting	102
11.	Fun with Capacitors	105
	What Is a Capacitor?	105
	Amount of Capacitance: the Farad	106
	Dielectrics	106
	A Kitchen-made Capacitor	108
	The Horizontal Capacitor	109
	Sphere Gap Discharge of Capacitor	110
	Separately Excited Dirod	110
	Dirods in Parallel	111
	The Roller	111
	The Rockers	111
	Capacitor Relationships	113
	More about Certain Capacitors	115
	Unexpected Shocks from Capacitors	116
12.	Connectors; The Vertical Capacitor; Figuring Capacitance	117
	Connectors	117
	The Vertical Capacitor	118
	Other Experiments	119
	Figuring Capacitance	120
	Capacitors with Dielectrics	120
	Combinations of Capacitors	121
	More Remarks about Capacitors	122
13.	Atmospheric Electrostatics	123
	Charged Clouds, and the Electric Field We Live In	123
	Lightning	124
	Lightning Rods	125
	Ball Lightning	126
	Ions Charging Cloud Droplets	127
	Charges Induced on Raindrops in Clouds	128
	Charged Droplets from Bubbles Breaking	128
	Are Tornadoes Powered by Charges?	129
14.	Some More Electrostatic Generators	130
	The Kelvin Generator	130
	The Flapper	132
	The Neon Lamp Bank	133
	Shake-sphere Generators	133
	The Swing Generator	135
	More about the Radial Dirods	136
	Dream Up Your Own!	136
15.	On This and That	138
	Why Dust Sticks	138
	Are Negative Ions Good for Us?	139
	Ions in Liquids and Solids	139
	The Electret	140
	The Electrostatic Speaker	141
	The Most Remarkable Capacitors Are Inside of You	141
	Some New Electrostatic Developments	143
	The Future of Electrostatics	145
16.	Some Final Hints	147
	Corona Phenomena in More Detail	147
	Sphere Gap Data	148
	Field Shape Indicator Details	148
	Plans for the Kelvin Generator	149
	Materials and Methods	150
	More about the Dirod Family	153
	Building Dirod Junior	154
	Building Radial Dirod Junior	163
Part 2	The Dirod Manual
17.	Introduction	173
	History	173
	The Teaching of Electrostatics	174
	Feedback	174
	Science Fairs	175
	Safety	175
18.	How a Dirod Works	177
	How a Dirod Charges Up	177
	Buildup is Geometric	178
	Electrical Discharges: Sparks and Corona	178
	Ions	179
	Watching Corona	180
	Designing for High Voltage	180
	Dirod Polarity Reversal	181
19.	Materials, Sources, Methods	182
	Brass and Aluminum	182
	Brush Material	183
	Plexiglas	183
	Corona Shields	185
	Epoxy Adhesive	185
	Corona Dope and TV Tubekoat	186
	Nonmetallic Inductors and Collectors	187
20.	Building Your Dirod	188
	The Drawings	188
	Two Ways to Make a Dirod	188
	The Base	188
	Bearing Posts	190
	Shaft, Bearings, and End Stops	191
	The Panel	192
	The Rotor	193
	Making the Disks	193
	Mounting Discs on Shaft	194
	Rodding the Rotor	195
	The Pulley and Belt	195
	The Motor and Speed Control	195
	The Brushes	196
	The Neutral Connector	196
	The Dirod Terminals	196
	Lengthening the Machine	197
	The Self-excited Dirod	197
	Separate Excitation	198
	The Capacitor	198
21.	Making the Accessories	200
	The Bobber	200
	Plugs and Receptacles	200
	Connectors: Capacitor Plates to Inductors	200
	Operational Flexibility	202
	More about Capacitance	202
	Two Kinds of Connectors	203
	The Rod Gap: Measuring High Voltage	203
22.	The Demonstrations	206
	Preliminary Demonstrations Notes	206
	Materials	206
	Dirod Behavior when Loaded	207
	Polarity Indicator	208
	Cups that Repel	208
	The Ping Pong Pair	209
	Water Spray	210
	Clatterbox	211
	Two-ball Clatterbox	212
	Lid Motor	213
	Tri-Motor	213
	Marble Motor	214
	Cup Motor	214
	Electric Pinwheel	214
	Electric Blower	216
	Precipitation	216
	The Hailstorm	217
	Separating a Mixture	217
	Popcorn	218
	Franklin Motor	218
	Field Indicator	219
	Leyden Jars	220
	Levitation	221
	The Jumper	221
	The Rockers	222
	The Ball Race	222
	"Perpetual Motion"	222
	Tassels Terrific	224
	Spray Painting	226
23.	A Final Word	228
	Electrostatic Hazards	228
	Materials List	229
	Afterword: A. D. Moore Remembered by his Children	231
	Bibliography	235
	Index	237