Faraday's Cage was an experiment by Michael Faraday. Made in 1836, through it the chemist Faraday proved the effect of electrostatic shield, that is, showed that there is “neutral space” in an electric field.
How it works?
A conductive surface insulates a space preventing electrical discharge.
This is because a charged conductor spreads charges throughout the electric field. But as a result of the effect of the repulsion of loads, they distance themselves from each other and are located in the surroundings of this electric field.
Thus, the effects that happen inside it cancel each other out, which makes the electric field null.
For safety reasons, electrostatic shielding is applied to planes, cars and cell phones, for example. It is a protection against electrical discharges (lightning strikes, lightning), hence its enormous importance.
There are those who suggest that what protects the car is the rubber tire, which is not true. The truth is that the car has metal throughout its structure, which favors the Faraday Cage effect.
Faraday's Cage Features
This famous experiment by Faraday, a chemist who made many contributions to the study of electricity, consisted of a kind of cage made of metal. Metal is one of the materials that are the best electrical conductors.
The cage was big enough for Faraday and a wooden chair where he sat.
After being subjected to strong electrical discharges, which were “barred” by the cage, Faraday left the structure he had invented safely.
How to make?
An experiment that proves the principle of electrostatic shielding can be done at home. For this you will need a cell phone that is working normally and aluminum foil.
Wrap the cell phone in aluminum foil without leaving any gaps. The phone must be turned on. After wrapping the device, use another cell phone to call the cell phone number that was wrapped and you will be surprised that the device has no network.
This happens because the electromagnetic waves that allow calls to be made are isolated or null, that is, blocked for any type of communication.
It should be noted that electromagnetic waves are the result of the release of electrical and magnetic energy sources.
Want to know more? Read:
- electrostatics
- Electrostatics: Exercises
- Faraday's constant
- Electromagnetic waves
