From: ROY MAYEDA (roymayeda@yahoo.com)
Date: Sat Apr 09 2005 - 07:12:12 PDT
Message-ID: <20050409141212.57255.qmail@web20422.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 9 Apr 2005 07:12:12 -0700 (PDT) From: ROY MAYEDA <roymayeda@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: VanDeGraaf question
Hi Gene.
My physics (especially electronics) is very rusty.
However, Kirchoff's Law applies to electrical
circuits, and this is a static discharge rather than a
circuit. I think the larger shock has to do with the
charging of each body in the chain. I remember this
being discussed at the very first TI summer institute
I went to (which I think was back in '89, with Paul D.
& Chris D. as instructors). Each body in the chain is
a conductor with an insulating layer (shoes)
sandwiched between them and ground (another
conductor). Each person then functions as a
capacitor, and those "downstream" receive the
discharge of those "upstream" from them. There was
also a caution from a participant who had a student
experience lasting numbness from the discharge (on the
order of a week or so), and it was suggested that
caution be used in the length of chains and the
individual students who participate -- medical
conditions, predisposition toward legal action :-),
etc. Hope this make sense.
Roy Mayeda
Wheaton HS
Wheaton, MN
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