Basics: What is Basics: How to Nicholsons Doubler

Introduction Essentials How it charges up End

a Charge Charge/Discharge Machine

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About This Machine
 Basics: What is Basics: How to Nicholsons Doubler
Introduction Essentials How it charges up End
a Charge Charge/Discharge Machine

A brief introduction before we

move on
Nicholsons doubler machine
Proposed in 1788 by William Nicholson in a paper
Electrostatic machine, which works by charging an
object.

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 Basics: What is Basics: How to Nicholsons Doubler
Introduction Essentials How it charges up End
a Charge Charge/Discharge Machine

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this: Essentials
What is How can we
charge charge/discharge
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 Basics: What is Basics: How to Nicholsons Doubler
Introduction Essentials How it charges up End
a Charge Charge/Discharge Machine

What is a Charge
There are two types of charge, positive (+) and negative (-)
It is measured by coulombs (C)
Protons carry a positive charge of 1.6021019 C denoted by
e, whereas electrons carry a negative charge of e.
Total charge of an object is the net difference between
number of protons and number of electrons.

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 Basics: What is Basics: How to Nicholsons Doubler
Introduction Essentials How it charges up End
a Charge Charge/Discharge Machine

What is a Charge
Properties:
Like charges attract
Unlike charges repel

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 Start
simulation
Attraction

Repulsion + -
+ Reset

+ +
+ -

- + -

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essentials
 Basics: What is Basics: How to Nicholsons Doubler
Introduction Essentials How it charges up End
a Charge Charge/Discharge Machine

How do we
charge/discharge
Using the properties that charges repel/attract,
we can move charges around.
There are good conductors of electricity (eg.
Metal) which can move charge around easily,
and there are bad conductors (eg. Plastic, glass,
air) that are difficult to move charges across.

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The charges
Charging by conduction
remain on the Remove the rod
sphere and
distributes ++
+
evenly. We have + ++ + +
charged the + +
+ + + + When the rod touches
sphere! ++ +
+ the sphere, it shares
+ +
some of the charges
+
with the sphere.
+ Charges move to
+ + ++ opposite end as like
charges repel.

Move rod
to sphere

Start: We have a positively charged rod,

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a conducting sphere on an insulator.
 Charging by induction
++ Touch the
+ ++ conducting sphere
+ -
+ + - with your hand
++ - +
+ - +
--
- +
- +
- -+
+
-
We end with a negatively
charged sphere.
Remove your finger than The hand conducts
remove
Negative thein
charges rod (The are
sphere order of
attracted to the excessive
rod butremoval is important,over
are not transferred or the
as air is a positive charges in
excess negative charges will be
poor conductor. the sphere away.
conducted away) Now the sphere is
Move the rod near the negatively
sphere. charged, where
Start: Again, we have a positively
negative
charged rod, a conducting spherecharges
on an
insulator. are heldBack
on by
to the
Previous rod. essentials
 Basics: What is Basics: How to Nicholsons Doubler
Introduction Essentials How it charges up End
a Charge Charge/Discharge Machine

Nicholsons doubler
machine
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essentials
 Basics: What is Basics: How to Nicholsons Doubler
Introduction Essentials How it charges up End
a Charge Charge/Discharge Machine

The machine rests on an stand made of wood,

which is a poor conductor and hence insulates.
The plates and sphere are made of good
conductors, usually copper. The sphere serves
as a ground through its distributed
capacitance.
The brushes that touches the plates are also
made of good conductors.
Anything in between are made of wood or
plastic for good insulation.

Design
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 Basics: What is Basics: How to Nicholsons Doubler
Introduction Essentials How it charges up End
a Charge Charge/Discharge Machine

When it works: The machine needs to be dry so

that charges do not get conducted away via
water.
The voltage produced is relatively small,
however touching a charged machine can still
cause pain!

Using the machine

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 Basics: What is Basics: How to Nicholsons Doubler
Introduction Essentials How it charges up End
a Charge Charge/Discharge Machine

Due to friction or left over

charges, plate A has a
residue charge. We can
assume that it has a charge
of +Q I
E F

Then negative charges flow

into B as they are attracted
G
to positive charges in A,
hence B has a charge of Q
D
from D, transferred through
brush G

Sphere D hence gains a

charge of +Q.

How it charges up
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 Basics: What is Basics: How to Nicholsons Doubler
Introduction Essentials How it charges up End
a Charge Charge/Discharge Machine

As we spin the machine,

The top brush E break
contact from A. A stores
a charge of +Q.

B also breaks contact

from brush F, hence it
I G E
stores a charge of Q.

Positive charges are F

attracted to negative
charges in B. Hence C D
attains a charge of +Q
from D through brush
G.

How it charges up
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 Basics: What is Basics: How to Nicholsons Doubler
Introduction Essentials How it charges up End
a Charge Charge/Discharge Machine

After we make a complete turn,

the machine is back in the
original position.

The negative charges in B are I

E G
attracted to the positive charges
in A. However B is able to get F
more negative charges from D
that are attracted to A, and so
positive charges in C flow to A D
through brush E and I. Now A
has charge of +2Q, and B will
attain the opposite of -2Q.

How it charges up
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 Basics: What is Basics: How to Nicholsons Doubler
Introduction Essentials How it charges up End
a Charge Charge/Discharge Machine

This doubling charges continues until there is

sufficient charge to cause a spark between plate
A and B or plate A and C, which a visible spark
can be seen. Then the charges balances out and
we can repeat the charging.

Note that although it is doubling, the charges

do not exactly double all the time due to
external factors.

How it charges up
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 Basics: What is Basics: How to Nicholsons Doubler
Introduction Essentials How it charges up End
a Charge Charge/Discharge Machine

This machine has a storage limit, and the

maximum voltage attainable is around 5000V.
It usually takes around 10-20 cycles to attain
the maximum charge, as the voltage doubles
each cycle the total voltage increases
exponentially (very quickly).

The facts
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 Basics: What is Basics: How to Nicholsons Doubler
Introduction Essentials How it charges up End
a Charge Charge/Discharge Machine

THANK YOU FOR YOUR

PARTICIPATION!

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