Re: electrostatics hazards

[William Beaty <billb@ESKIMO.COM>]

On Tue, 26 Jan 1999, James S. Marsh wrote:

> So I need to know how the discussion turned out.  Also, if anyone has an
> opinion as to whether classifying the Kelvin machine as dangerous for the
> purpose of the science fair is a reasonable thing to do, I would appreciate
> hearing your views.

In my experience, scuffing on the rug and then touching a doorknob is far
more dangerous than a Kelvin machine, as long as the Kelvin machine does
not contain a Leyden Jar or any sort of capacitor other than the cans
themselves.  VandeGraaff Electrostatic Generators and Wimshurst machines
are sold everywhere (gift shops, Edmund Scientific catalog), and they are
capable of much higher voltage than the typical Kelvin machine.

I wonder how they arrived at the conclusion that it was dangerous.
Perhaps because "high voltage" was mentioned?  (And everybody knows that
everyday 'static' electricity has nothing to do with high voltage?)

:)

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