- #36
Studiot
- 5,440
- 9
When I saw the title of this thread I knew trouble was brewing.
And as always we have all sorts of red herrings introduced.
The simple fact is that if you move even one single unit of charge from a to b you have, by definition a current.
The fifth picture in this article shows a classic where a man's hair is standing on end because of proximity to a Van De Graaff generator.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_de_Graaff_generator
Capacitance, inductance, resonance or any other ants is not involved.
Some charge passes from the generator ball to the man by traveling through the resistive path formed in the air between him and the generator ball.
This is by definition a current.
No circuit is involved or completed.
Because the man is insulated the charge does not proceed further and spreads to his extremities, causing his hairs to separate.
If you bring your knuckles close to the ball you can actually feel the small charges jumping the gap and impinging upon your flesh.
And as always we have all sorts of red herrings introduced.
The simple fact is that if you move even one single unit of charge from a to b you have, by definition a current.
The fifth picture in this article shows a classic where a man's hair is standing on end because of proximity to a Van De Graaff generator.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_de_Graaff_generator
Capacitance, inductance, resonance or any other ants is not involved.
Some charge passes from the generator ball to the man by traveling through the resistive path formed in the air between him and the generator ball.
This is by definition a current.
No circuit is involved or completed.
Because the man is insulated the charge does not proceed further and spreads to his extremities, causing his hairs to separate.
If you bring your knuckles close to the ball you can actually feel the small charges jumping the gap and impinging upon your flesh.