PLASMA BALLS

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PLASMA BALLS
Picture from http//van.hep.uiuc.edu/van/demos/Pl
asma20Ball/Plasma20Ball.htm
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WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS OF A PLASMA
BALL?
Gases
Glass globe
Charged particles
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A cord to plug into the wall
Transformer
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A QUICK CHEMISTRY LESSON
An atom in its natural state has an equal number
of protons and electrons..
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DO YOU REMEMBER?





PROTONS HAVE A _______ CHARGE.
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ELECTRONS HAVE A ______ CHARGE.
So normally, the charge is neutral..
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BUT
IF AN ATOM GAINS AN ELECTRON, IT BECOMES
NEGATIVELY CHARGED.
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WHEN YOU TURN ON THE PLASMA BALL
The transformer collects negative charges.
Like charges repel.
So the charges in the transformer try to get away
from each other.
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THE GASES MAKE THE COLOR
The colored arcs are caused by the charges moving
through the gas inside the globe.
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THE GASES MAKE THE COLOR
Here is a list of the gases that might be in a
plasma ball
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Xenon bluish white Neon bright orange Argon
deep purple Nitrogen reddish purple Krypton,Heli
um white Carbon white or blue
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A PLASMA BALL IS SIMPLY A LESSON IN DIFFUSION
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The negative charge inside the globe builds up.
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Because like charges repel each other, the
charges want to diffuse away from each other.
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A PLASMA BALL IS SIMPLY A LESSON IN DIFFUSION
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When you touch the globe.
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The charges flow through you and to the earth.
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This discharges some of the charge that has built
up inside the globe.