On Sat, Dec 3, 2011 at 3:38 PM, Peter Heckert <peter.heck...@arcor.de> wrote: > Am 03.12.2011 16:20, schrieb Horace Heffner: >> >> I suggest that the dark zone at the tip of the needle is not due to a >> vacuum there. It is more likely due to the average delay for recombination >> of the ions and electrons. Electron recombination with ions is likely what >> produces most of the light. > > I believe there is a vacuum for these reasons: > > 1) I placed a charged needle 1-2 cm above a water surface. The air blow > makes a sharp, mm deep and mm wide hole into the water surface. > If I assume, that the air stream originates from the needle's tip, wich is > measured in ľm, the blowing pressure and the repulsion at the needles tip in > a ľm distance must be 100 to 1000 times stronger. > The sudden electrostatic acceleration of electrons and ions must create a > vacuum. > > This experiment was done with some kV only. I had to turn the voltage down > to avoid sparks, because I had only 1 or 2 cm distance to the water. > In pressurized air the voltage can be some 100 kV. > > 2) The electrostatic repulsion is strong enough to drive the electrons out > of the metal. > I believe the force required for this must be many times stronger than the > air pressure. > > A side note: > It is interesting that a positive needle blows and also a negative needle > blows. > One should expect that a negative needle would attract the nuclei and repel > the electrons and should suck instead blow. > This does not happen, both needles blow. > > So I think, directly at the needles surface, if it is negatively charged, > there should be a vacuum, but not empty, the vacuum must contain a dense > electron cloud. > > Peter
Is it possible the water hole is caused by repulsion? Harry Harry
