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The Tesla coil is used to produce fantastic high voltage long sparking displays. A Tesla Coil is a combination of two circuits each made by coiling wire around a hollow tube. The first circuit is basically made up of a transformer, a capacitor, spark gaps and a "primary" coil. This primary coil is made of heavy wire and has just a few turns around the bottom of the "secondary" coil. The primary coil experiences a very rapid, very strong change in its magnetic field due to the interaction between the capacitor and the spark gaps in its circuit. This change in magnetic field induces current in the secondary coil, which is made of finer wire wound many times around an empty tube. As the current goes up the secondary coil, its voltage and frequency are increased and then once it reaches the toroid at the top of the secondary coil, the energy is released in beautiful, vivid arcing. To learn more about Tesla Coils, check out our Cool Links.
Click on the picture to see a short Quicktime movie showing some of those scary, dangerous, but beautiful electric arcs (3.2 Mb).
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