Van de graaff without insulation?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the necessity of an insulated belt in Van de Graaff generators. It is established that the insulated belt is crucial for effectively delivering charge and generating high voltages, often reaching several million volts. The alternative suggestion of connecting a battery's negative terminal directly to the generator's interior is dismissed, as it would not replicate the voltage-building mechanism inherent to the Van de Graaff design. The insulated belt's role in charge accumulation is emphasized as a clever engineering solution.

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  • Understanding of electrostatics and charge generation
  • Familiarity with Van de Graaff generator design principles
  • Knowledge of high-voltage generation techniques
  • Basic electrical circuit concepts
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Physics students, electrical engineers, hobbyists interested in electrostatics, and anyone involved in high-voltage experiments will benefit from this discussion.

jxy
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Hi,

Why do all the designs for a Van de graaff generator have a insulated belt that delivers charge?

Couldn't I just connect the negative terminal of a battery to the inside and get the same effect?

Van de graaf from wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Van_de_graaf_generator.svg
 
Physics news on Phys.org
see the description here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_de_Graaff_generator


maybe you can...but if you use a conductor as you propose, seems like you have to generate the actual voltage (several million) whereas the van de graaf method builds that voltage for you via the insulated belt...a very clever mechanism!.
 

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