Plasma Balls

[Guest mancunian]

What is the voltage required for the effect to be produced ?

 

I would like to know the lowest possible voltage that would need to be supplied.

 

Thanks in advance.

[YT2095]

that all depends on a good many factors.

the vacume used, the distance between electrodes, the frequency of the voltage applied etc...

there is no real limit from the molecular scale upwards.

but here`s a small one you MAY have seen, ever seen the tiny mains neon bulbs?

they usualy give an orange glow between 2 electrodes as the neon gas is ionised, well that is a plasma

and they trigger at about 90 volts.

 

hope that helps a little

[iglak]

but that's a little different from a plasma ball, isn't it?

[YT2095]

well a plasma ball to my understanding is an evacuated vessel with a trace gas present through which an electrical charge is introduced at such a potential that the gas glows.

as seen in many lighting shops and novelty gadget stores the vessel is usualy spherical giving it the Ball shape. a free plasma has no definable shape per se

[Crash]

Or they might be referring to the plasma balls mentioned in a new scientist magazine early this year, which exert almost all properties of a living organism Eg. movement reproduction,

and can be made from a short sharp jolt of electrickery in the right conditions.

They were discussing if life colud of started from these "plasma Balls"

[iglak]

i could swear i replied to this earlier today... oh well.

 

i realised that i was thinking of ball lightnings

 

here's a site about plasma balls/ball lightnings

 

here's a site selling "plasma balls"

 

and here's a news article about it.

 

<edit>

i just remembered, i did post here already today. i specifically remember editing it 3 times as i found those 3 sites off of a search engine. i wonder why my post was deleted.... and i posted on the "Return of the king" thread too, and my post isn't there now... hmm....