Chen Muwu asked Oppenheimer to buy these three things. With a little assembly, they can support the simplest Van de Graaff generator.
If you want to save more money, you can replace the metal tin cans with the empty can skins left after eating the cans. There is no difference in the effectiveness of galvanized tinplate and tin cans.
The small electric motor can also be streamlined and replaced with a hand-operated gear set without any problem.
Only the insulating conductive tape is essential. It is the carrier of electric charge. If you want to save further money, you can change the material from silk to something else.
It is a pity that nylon has not been invented yet, otherwise Oppenheimer could have found Chen Muwu an insulating tape that was cheaper and stronger than silk.
The principle of this kind of generator is to charge the insulating silk ribbon at the bottom, and then the rotation of the motor drives the silk ribbon to slowly move upward, so that the charged part also slowly moves to the top of the generator, and finally passes through The electric brush transfers these charges to the metal tin can that is buckled on top.
These transferred charges will appear on the outer surface of the tin can, and slowly accumulate over time, the potential of the tin can will continue to increase, until the potential of the accumulated charge on it is enough to breakdown the surrounding air.
There's also the question of how to get the insulating ribbon to be charged when it's at the bottom.
There are also two ways to do this. One is to use tip discharge, ground the negative pole of a high-voltage DC power supply, and connect the positive pole to the tip to transfer the positive charge to the insulating ribbon.
The other method is simpler. It does not use a high-voltage DC power supply that costs money. It only needs to use the simplest and most basic electrical principle, friction to generate electricity.
Benjamin Franklin, one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence, is featured on the one hundred dollar bill.
But in addition to the founding father of the United States, Franklin also has another identity, that is, a scientist.
According to the elementary school textbook, in order to study electricity, he once flew a kite during a thunderstorm, trying to use metal poles to draw down lightning.
In addition, Franklin also discovered and named positive and negative charges. The charge on a glass rod rubbed with silk is called positive charge, while the charge on a rubber rod rubbed with animal fur is called negative charge.
Silk is a good electrifying material. If a glass rod with one end grounded is rubbed against the silk at the bottom of this kind of generator, it can also continuously provide charge to this insulating tape.
However, since the electrons are transferred from the glass rod to the silk, the electrostatic generator that electrifies in this way will eventually accumulate negative charges on the tin can, so the potential is also negative. It cannot accelerate the positively charged protons, but can only accelerate the positively charged protons. Negatively charged electrons.
But this was no problem for Chen Muwu. He had no intention of actually building a particle accelerator with the few shillings he had on hand.
From the beginning, he just wanted to build a demonstration motor to convince his teacher Rutherford that it was feasible to obtain high-voltage static electricity in this way, and thus suggested that he turn the particle accelerator from a fantasy into a reality.
In Rutherford's plan, it would take at least a few months for Chen Muwu to build a model of this accelerator.
If that model demo failed, it could be sent back and had to be redone.
And if it succeeds, it can also be used as an excuse that the laboratory's funds will not be very rich at the end of the year, and there will be a year-end inventory, thus delaying the funds for building a particle accelerator until 1926 next year.
That's why Rutherford could relax a little while gritting his teeth and increase the funds allocated to Chen Muwu to a huge amount of 2,500 pounds.
But he never expected that after returning to the Cavendish Laboratory, he, a good student, would spend less than half a week bringing his so-called "particle accelerator" model into his own laboratory again. in this office.
Chen Muwu has not been in Cambridgeshire for more than half a year, and Rutherford is no longer accustomed to the Chinese storm's usual high efficiency.
"Chen, is this the accelerator model you are holding in your hand?"
"Teacher, to be precise, this is just a part of the accelerator. It is responsible for providing the high electrical potential difference required to accelerate particles."
"That's it? How high does it provide!"
Chen Muwu estimated in his mind for a few seconds: "The radius of the metal tin ball above is about ten centimeters. Under the standard conditions of zero degrees Celsius and 760 millimeters of mercury, the breakdown field of air is about 30,000 volts. per centimeter. If this metal electrode can be made infinitely close to a ball and the surface is polished, just this little guy can provide a potential difference of 150,000 volts. In the current situation, the object in my hand actually produces A few thousand volts is no problem."
One hundred and fifty thousand volts. Just looking at this voltage, it is already three times the accelerator that Videro has not yet built.
Seeing the expression on the teacher's face was filled with suspicion, Chen Muwu simply put the generator model on his desk.
"Teacher, please lend me a piece of paper. Just use it."
Taking a piece of scratch paper handed to him by Rutherford, Chen Muwu tore off a small strip from it and placed it on the top of the tin can.
"Because it's just a demonstration model, and the one I made is very rough, so there's no need to measure the specific potential it can generate. Just use this piece of paper to make a rough estimate. . As the machine starts up, the note will get higher and higher because it is charged with electricity and repels the tin can."
After briefly explaining the principle, Chen Muwu turned on the power, started the motor, and slowly started running with the insulating tape made of silk.
Just like what he just said, the piece of paper on the top of the tin can floated high like a flag, silently declaring victory.
Rutherford stood up and took a closer look. This time, even his beard was floating.
He pondered for a long time before speaking: "Chen, according to your statement, if the radius of the sphere reaches 35 centimeters, can it create an ultra-high voltage of one million volts?"
"Teacher, that is only under an ideal situation, but there is no problem with one million volts. It just needs to increase the radius of the spherical electrode a little higher."
"In other words, as long as the radius of the spherical electrode is adjusted to be infinite, we can create an infinite potential difference?"
"That's almost it, but I think there should be an upper limit. When the speed of the conveyor belt transporting charges and the speed of charge loss on the electrodes reach a balance, the electric potential will no longer increase. I estimate this upper limit to be five million Around volts.”
The data given by Chen Muwu is not groundless. More than ten years later, in order to better study nuclear fission, Westinghouse Electric did come up with a behemoth that could increase the voltage to five million volts, and took a very large machine for it. The graphic name, "Westinghouse Atom Smasher."
"five million……"
Rutherford was obviously frightened by the satellite released by Chen Muwu. The electric potential of one million volts just now was regarded by him as the limit of his imagination.
If we could really build a particle accelerator with five million volts, and then use a potential difference of five million volts to accelerate a proton, and then let such a high-energy proton bombard the nuclei of other atoms...
Rutherford felt that he had never fought such a rich battle in his life.
But how much does that cost?
"Chen, you really provided a genius invention. But we must go step by step, not to mention that it is not necessary to build a five-million-volt machine all at once. Now this generator is only in the model stage. It is hard to say whether a power-generating machine that operates exactly as designed in the model can be built in practice.
"Well, as I told you before, you won't miss a penny of the accelerator funding of 2,500 pounds, but..."
It was almost the autumn of the year again, and Chen Muwu was once again asking Rutherford, the director of experiments at the Cavendish Laboratory, for a grant of more than two thousand pounds.
At this moment, it was exactly like that moment two years ago, when Chen Muwu was worrying about a vacuum pump that General Electric in the United States wanted to buy for two thousand pounds.
Rutherford also used the same rhetoric he used before when he didn't want to buy a vacuum pump for Chen Muwu. He said that the end of the year was coming soon, and after school started in October, there would be a new group of people in the laboratory, so he always had to leave some money for emergencies. Need to wait.
But as he spoke, he felt that he was going a little too far. After all, the person standing on the other side of the desk was the best student he had ever met in his life.
"...How about this, Chen, I know you are very rich. The Nobel Prize alone is worth seven to eight thousand pounds.
"For such a huge bonus, it's just dead money if you keep it in the bank and earn interest. Otherwise, you can take out the money first and advance the expenses required to build a particle accelerator. When you have sufficient funds next year, How about I ask James to reimburse you with the money?"
"Teacher, do we in Cavendish Laboratory have no money again?"
The expected bargaining plot did not appear, but Chen Muwu asked sincerely.
Rutherford couldn't handle this, but he immediately thought of another possibility.
Since Chen Muwu was able to get old Henry the funds for David Faraday's Laboratory and also gave him a new Monds Laboratory for free, is there a new way to get the money from Cavendish Laboratory as he did before? Can funding be increased?
If there are dates but there are no dates, it will take three poles. I, Ernest, will cry first to respect this poor person.
Rutherford nodded and continued: "Chen, although you doubled the laboratory's funding before, once you have money, everyone wants better experimental equipment and materials. This money It’s still not enough…”
"Okay, I understand, teacher." After his sincere expression, Chen Muwu showed a very understanding attitude, "Since the Cavendish Laboratory has no money, I'd better pack up and go back to London. , go over there and ask Lord Bragg if he is willing to pay the money."
After he finished speaking, he picked up the model on the table and turned to leave.
Chen Muwu felt a little chilled. It didn't matter if the teacher didn't give him any money. Why was he even eyeing his Nobel Prize?
Moreover, he had already transferred the bonus to Marcus Jr.'s account, and used it to pay for the construction of a school in Sweden.
No, the money used to build the school was directly used to purchase patents from Bnemen Company, and the Nobel Prize was still in his bank account.
But even then, Chen Muwu felt that he could not bring his own dry food to build an accelerator in the Cavendish Laboratory. The various money in his account would have to be handed over to Oppenheimer and entrusted to him to take it to the U.S. stock market. Go make a fortune!
So on the surface he remained calm, but in fact he gave the teacher a trick to retreat in order to advance.
The situation took a sudden turn, and Rutherford was once again caught off guard.
"Chen, old Henry is a crystallographer who studies solid state physics. He only needs to be given a few crystals and an X-ray source, which is enough for him to do research for several years. A particle accelerator is nothing to him. Use it. How about we discuss it later? I will ask James to allocate a thousand pounds to you this year, and then give you the remaining money next year when the funds are sufficient. "
This is not bad, Chen Muwu can accept half of the money first, but Chen Muwu really can't bear it if he wants to go to whoring for free without giving any money.
"Teacher, although our Cavendish Laboratory has no money, you will be the president of the Royal Society at the end of the year. Can you also get some funds from the Royal Society? If we want to do it, we will build a big accelerator. Although it’s a little difficult to get five million volts out, there’s no problem in building one million volts first, right?”
Before Rutherford officially became president, Chen Muwu had already set his sights on the fat sheep of the Royal Society.
"Let's talk about it, let's talk about it." The old man felt a little worried about Qian, so he ignored Chen Muwu's joke.
After getting the money, Chen Muwu, who became considerate again, couldn't see his teacher like this and decided to find a way to comfort him.
"Teacher, I have one more thing."
"Do you want more money?"
"No money, no money."
Chen Muwu hurriedly waved his hands and shook his head. He felt that if he was sure about this question, Rutherford would probably have a heart attack and fall to the ground on the spot.
"Then tell me, what's the matter?"
"That's it. Can you register this Chen's generator patent for me through the Cavendish Laboratory? I understand the previous rules. There are two in the laboratory and eight in the laboratory. Although I don't know how much money I can make from this patent. , but we should be able to make back a little bit of the two thousand five hundred pounds we invested."
After hearing this answer, Rutherford's expression finally relaxed a lot.
He nodded: "Just do as you say. Just hurry up and get the patent document and give it to James. Chen, do you have anything else?"
"There is one more thing..."
Rutherford wished he could give himself a mouth. Why did he talk so much that he asked the last question?
He originally thought that this was actually an ordinary eviction order. The subtext was to leave as soon as possible if nothing happened. The director does not want to see you, an annoying student, again today.
But Chen Muwu was quite sincere and actually agreed.
Rutherford decided that if he asked for money again this time, he would never agree to it.
"Teacher, the accelerator is about to be built. Although I have money now, I still need an assistant. The new graduate student under Peter, Mr. John Cockcroft, can he be transferred to my side? "
"That's no problem, I'll talk to James in the next few days.
"Why, you finally can't stand that American anymore? I didn't want to recruit him into the Cavendish Laboratory at the beginning, but you insisted on listening to Sir Thomson and took him under your control. Now you're on your own Is it a bitter pill?"
After learning that Chen Muwu was not asking for money, Rutherford was in a happy mood again while sitting on the roller coaster, and even felt a little gloating about his misfortune.
One thing comes after another. It seems that even God can't stand Chen Muwu, a disobedient student, who is always trying to deal with himself, so he sent an even more disobedient Oppenheimer to let Dr. Chen have a taste of being fucked by his own students. What does it feel like to be angry!
(End of chapter)
