Electrostatic windmill

To show the “action of points”, that charge can flow off pointed parts of a conductor maintained at a high potential.

• Van de Graaff generator
• Electrostatic windmill

Place windmill on top of the Van de Graff generator. When the generator is turned on the windmill will begin to rotate.

The Van de Graff generator vibrates significantly while running, so a piece of tape may be necessary to prevent the windmill from falling off of the generator.

The electrostatic windmill needs a high voltage to start turning, so move the grounding 'wand' far away from it.