This model is now IECs standard "Large" model Van De Graaff. The 250mm diameter ball is a good size and is in proportion with all the rest of the instrument's construction.
This model now uses an insulation tube to protect the belt, but the pulleys, the belt and the combs are accessible for inspection, cleaning or adjustment at both the top and bottom ends of the tube. The belt is a long lasting Silicone rubber and both performance and reliability is excellent.
NSW Physics Syllabus Reference
Module 4: Electricity and Magnetism
Electrostatics
- Conduct investigations to describe and analyse qualitatively and quantitatively:
- processes by which objects become electrically charged (ACSPH002)
- the forces produced by other objects as a result of their interactions with charged objects (ACSPH103)
- variables that affect electrostatic forces between those objects (ACSPH103)