Leiden Jar (Noun)
Meaning
An electrostatic capacitor of historical interest.
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Examples
- The Leiden jar was invented by Pieter van Musschenbroek in the 1740s and consisted of a glass jar coated with metal foil on both the inside and outside.
- The invention of the Leiden jar led to the development of many important concepts in electrostatics, including the concept of capacitance.
- A Leiden jar was typically charged by bringing a charged object into contact with the metal terminal protruding from the top of the jar.
- Benjamin Franklin conducted extensive experiments with Leiden jars and used them to demonstrate the concept of electric charge and grounding.
- The Leiden jar played a significant role in the development of electrostatics as a field of study, particularly in the work of scientists such as Benjamin Franklin and Alessandro Volta.