The Physics of a Van de Graaff Generator
Channel: Mr. No Fear
Date: 2022-03-11

This short animation describes the physics behind the Van de Graaff Generator.
A Van de Graaff Generator makes use of the Triboelectric effect to transport electrons from a source to a sink, generating a large potential difference in the process which can result in a spark.

Narrated by Muhammad Omar and animated by Nasir Yousufi.

0:00 Introduction
0:24 Triboelectric effect
1:23 Anatomy of the Generator
1:53 How it works (at the bottom)
3:05 How it works (at the top)
4:22 What causes the spark?
4:51 Overview

Disclaimer: image of Robert Van de Graaff by Suaima sourced under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lehenengo_Generatzailea.jpg