How to create an Electric Field?

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
5 replies · 3K views · last reply
BhargavRJ
Messages
7
Reaction score
2
TL;DR
I want to create an Electric Field on Copper Clad Board! How to implement it? I want help with electrical connections.
Dear friends,

First of all I have one question! As per Figure 1, how to implement electrical connection in real life which are seen inside Red Box? and what is the meaning of grounding the other terminal?

Schematic of a Van de Graaff style belt generator setup labelled SET UP FOR POSITIVE MACHINE, with a 0 to +50 kV power supply boxed in red at lower left, grounded, connected to the suppressor.

Figure 1

And the second thing is that, I want to create and electric field on copper clad board! How I can create it? As per Figure 2, I have implemented one electrical circuit by connecting positive terminal of 9V battery with copper clad board leaving negative terminal disconnected. Is there any possibility that I will get charge accumulation on copper clad board? and If yes, How would I confirm that some charge or electric field is there?

Photo of a 9V battery labelled Hi-waote connected by red and black crocodile-clip leads, with the red lead clipped to one edge of a rectangular copper clad board on a marble surface; the black lead is left unattached to the board.

Figure 2
 
Engineering news on Phys.org
-1- It sounds like you should not be considering working with 50kV power supplies.

-2- Connect the black clip to a 2nd copper clad board and hold the two boards 1cm apart (do not let them touch -- that will short out the battery). You have now created an electric field between the plates of 9V/1cm = 900V/m.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: osilmag, jasonRF and BhargavRJ
berkeman said:
-1- It sounds like you should not be considering working with 50kV power supplies.

-2- Connect the black clip to a 2nd copper clad board and hold the two boards 1cm apart (do not let them touch -- that will short out the battery). You have now created an electric field between the plates of 9V/1cm = 900V/m.

For Figure 1, I will not be using 50kV power supplies, but I just want to understand that how they make connections in real life, because as per the figure they have grounded the other terminal.

For Figure 2, I am clear with your answer and will be doing it for sure. But still I want to ask that what are the possibilities of charge accumulation if I don't connect the negative terminal, will it increase the amount of charge on copper?
 
Zero. Even though you are not making a closed circuit, there still has to be polarity for charge and thus a field to accumulate. What you have pictured is unipolar.
 
Schematic of a Van de Graaff generator set up for a positive machine, with a 0 to -50 kV power supply, inductor I1, suppressor I6, H.V. terminal, and labelled pulleys P1 to P4 and chain direction; a red box and arrow mark a 0 to +50 kV power supply.

Please explain me how they connect that power supply where I have kept black arrow. The other terminal, actually it is connected where?
 
That symbol is the symbol for ground and the suppressor is a large filter that smooths voltage spikes.