Invented by American physicist Robert Jemison Van de Graaf in the early 1930s, the Van de Graaf generator is a high-voltage electrostatic device that serves as a type of particle accelerator. The generator is used for producing a very high electrostatic potential. It produces this potential by moving an insulated-fabric belt inside of a column to convey a charge into a smooth, spherical, well-insulated metal dome. The dome increases in potential until an electric breakdown occurs or until the load current balances the charging rate. As the charge builds up on the dome, the electricity seeks a way to ground itself. The urgency for grounding occurs because the dome is collecting a lot of negative charges that want to get away from each other. The charges will jump to any conducting object near the metal dome.

For this demonstration, we would witness a human body being used as a conductor for the static electricity generated by the Van de Graaf generator. To demonstrate, DC Cox asked a volunteer from the audience to stand on an insulated platform several feet from the generator. It is essential that the demonstrator stand on a platform insulated from ground so the electricity would not just ground itself before the demonstration could occur. If too much static electricity is lost to ground, not enough electricity will go through the hair. Before the generator was powered up, the volunteer was asked to hold on to a conductive rod connected to the generator by a cable. The volunteer could not remove her hand from the conductive rod once the generator was turned on without receiving a shock. The generator was turned on and the volunteer’s hair began to rise. The longer the generator ran, the higher her hair stood. The negative charges from the Van de Graaf generator accumulated on the volunteer’s skin and hair. The electrons in the hair repel each other, causing the hair strands to try to space themselves far apart from each other. When the charging period had ended, DC Cox used a discharge electrode to remove the charge on the generator before the girl released the conductive rod.