5A40.70 • Induced Charge: Kelvin Water Drop Generator

Photo Shows the Demonstration Apparatus Used by the University of Texas at Austin

Instructions / Notes:

• Demo includes: two metal rings cross wired to two metal pails at the bottom of the demo. A water supply tank and two nozzles are mounted above the demo.
• A liter / quart of water is poured into the water tank above the two metal rings and the two streams of water break up into droplets as the streams pass through the rings.
• Normally, this demo uses a spark gap to show the resultant charge build up at the bottom pails.   We've added a set of "Franklin Bells" and a neon kernal to where the spark gap would be.
• The Kelvin Water Drop experiment dates to an 1867 experiment by Lord Kelvin himself.

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Demo Staff:

• This demo splashes water prodigously. - Set up on a separate table from other demos.

Last updated on June 22, 2026