Van de Graaff, Robert Jemison
Van de Graaff, Robert Jemison
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Robert Jemison Van de Graaff (1901-1967) was an American physicist who developed a high-voltage electrostatic generator (later called the Van de Graaff generator) that served as a type of particle accelerator. In 1929, the first working model generated 80,000 volts. In 1946, he co-founded the High Voltage Engineering Corp. to manufacture his accelerator. Widely used in atomic research, the device was also adapted to produce high-energy X rays for medical and industrial uses.
Further Reading
Short Van de Graaff biography (Earthsky.org)
History of the Van de Graaff Generator (Museum of Science, Boston)
Citation
Cutler Cleveland (Lead Author);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Van de Graaff, Robert Jemison". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth October 7, 2006; Last revised Date October 7, 2006; Retrieved February 4, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Van_de_Graaff,_Robert_Jemison>
The Author
Editor-in-Chief
The Encyclopedia of Earth Cutler J. Cleveland is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. Dr. Cleveland is currently a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at Boston University, with joint appointments in the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies and the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer Range Future. He also is a Senior Fellow at the National Council for Science and the Environment in Washington D.C. Dr. Cleveland is als ... (Full Bio)
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