Van de Graaff generator
(văn′ də grăf′)n.
An electrostatic generator in which an electric charge is either removed from or transferred to a large hollow spherical electrode by a rapidly moving belt, accelerating particles to energies of about ten million electron volts.
[After Robert Jemison Van de Graaff (1901-1967), American physicist.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Van de Graaff generator
(ˈvæn də ˌɡrɑːf)n
(General Physics) a device for producing high electrostatic potentials (up to 15 million volts), consisting of a hollow metal sphere on which a charge is accumulated from a continuous moving belt of insulating material: used in particle accelerators
[C20: named after R. J. Van de Graaff (1901–67), US physicist]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
Van′ de Graaff` gen`erator
(ˈvæn də ˌgræf)n.
a high-voltage electrostatic generator.
[1935–40; after R. J. Van de Graaff (1901–66), U.S. physicist]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
An electric charge fed through the generator separates into positive and negative charges. The positive charge is carried up to the spherical electrode on a rubber conveyor belt.
Van de Graaff generator
A device used to build up an electric charge by transferring charged particles from a high-voltage power supply to a spherical electrode. When an object, such as a person, touches the electrode, the generator transfers to the object the charge that has built up on the electrode.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  Van de Graaff generator - electrical device that produces a high voltage by building up a charge of static electricityelectrical device - a device that produces or is powered by electricity electrophorus - a simple electrostatic generator that generates repeated charges of static electricity |
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