Van De Graaff Generator (Noun)
Meaning
Electrical device that produces a high voltage by building up a charge of static electricity.
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Examples
- A typical van de Graaff generator is capable of producing a voltage of several hundred thousand volts.
- The teacher used a van de Graaff generator to demonstrate the principles of static electricity to the class.
- Leonard used a van de Graaff generator to make his hair stand up in a science experiment gone wrong.
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt witnessed the demonstration of the first van de Graaff generator at the MIT Laboratory for Nuclear Science in 1933.
- At science exhibitions and fairs, the van de Graaff generator is often used to show the effects of high voltage electricity.