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Electrostatic Tightrope
Walker
French? circa 1830
When repaired (the broken balance pole was replaced) and electrified, this charming tightrope-walker would teeter back-and-forth. The motion was the same as the Franklin Bells or the Volta's Hailstorm: alternating electrostatic attraction-then-repulsion. The main difference from these other demonstrations is that here there are two pith balls, one at each end of the balance pole. For the tightrope walker to function, the balance pole must conduct electricity. The device works best if we take a brush dipped in water, and moisten the pole. Since it is a replacement rather than the original, we feel no qualms of guilt about this. There is another form of "tightrope walker" which is more similar to the Dance of the Puppets. Below is an illustration extracted from George Adams' 1792 Essay upon Electricity:
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| The Bakken A Library and Museum of Electricity in Life 3537 Zenith Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55416-4623, USA Join our E-Mail List Contact Us Tele: 612-926-3878 Fax: 612-927-7265 |
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