Re: Physics list: Water capacitors /To Ludwik

["Bob Sciamanda" <trebor@velocity.net>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Mary and Bill Allsopp <callsopp@worldnet.att.net>
To: phys-l@atlantis.uwf.edu <phys-l@atlantis.uwf.edu>
Date: Sunday, September 20, 1998 9:39 PM
Subject: Physics list: Water capacitors /To Ludwik
> . . .
> We experimented with several
> different ionizing materials, e.g., salt, acid, base and none of them
> came anywhere close to matching the Q of just plain air. Maybe we should
> have used mercury.
> . . .
> Bill, from a little town in Arkansas

Hi Bill!
    I must be mis-reading your description - why would you want a
conductive dielectric (mercury, etc) in your capacitor?  A leaky
capacitor will of course have a low Q!

Your use of this setup as a variable tuning cap is clever!

Re your other questions - this group is very much open to all of the
topics you mentioned.  Our emphasis is on physics teaching, even more
than on "the nuts and bolts of physics."

Our practice is to respond to the list, rather than to the poster, as
long as there seems to be a general interest.

Bob Sciamanda
Physics, Edinboro Univ of PA (ret)
trebor@velocity.net
http://www.velocity.net/~trebor