What sort of experiments can be doen with Graphite ?

[th3whit3fang]

What sort of experiments can be doen with Graphite ??

I need experiments that can be done for the research of graphite.. GOt any ideas??

 

[Philip Wood]

Variation of resistance with temperature.

Carbon microphone.

Different resistances across different pairs of opposite faces in a graphite cube. [I've never tried this, and it might be difficult to do, owing to problems making contact in a standard and reproducible way with the faces. Area of contact (metal to graphite) and pressure applied would need to be the same.]

 

[Bobbywhy]

I need experiments that can be done for the research of graphite.. GOt any ideas??

th3whit3fang, Welcome to Physics Forums!

If I had that assignment I would start with the Wikipedia page "Graphite" to stimulate ideas for experiments.

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

Check the sections "Occurrence, Properties, Uses". Don’ t forget these final sections, they can lead to far more information and ideas for your project:

"See also"
"References"
"Further reading"
"External links"

Cheers,
Bobbywhy

 

[th3whit3fang]

Thanks for your advises !

Carbon microphone.

Can you explain how it could be done with graphite.. i searched for it and i got an experiment but it isn't so clear what was being done in the video..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhDzyK3-RSU

 

[Philip Wood]

One way to make a carbon microphone is to rest a piece of pencil 'lead' (that is graphite + a binding material) a few centimetres long on the edges of two razor blades. The set-up is $\pi$ shaped, with the razor blades forming the uprights, and the pencil 'lead' forming the bridge across the top. The 'terminals' of the microphone are the razor blades.

Connect the microphone in series with a battery (6 V, perhaps) and a resistor (100 $\Omega$, perhaps. Connect the y-amplifier input terminals of an oscilloscope across the resistor. Speak loudly near the pencil lead and you should see a corresponding trace on the oscilloscope, when you've adjusted the time-base and the y-gain.

It works - if it does work! - by the pressure variations in air due to the sound waves pushing the 'lead' more and less firmly on to the blades, changing the contact resistance between blades and lead. The series resistor completes a potential divider circuit.

Until quite recently carbon microphones (using carbon granules) were the standard microphone in telephone handsets. The quality of reproduction was never good.

 

[th3whit3fang]

Thanks man !

 

[Philip Wood]

Please post if you try it.

 

[DrZoidberg]

How about diamagnetic levitation?

 

[CWatters]

They are different but does carbon fibre count as graphite in this context?