How will the capacitance of a typical desktop van de graaff generator be affected when connected in series to a group of some 5-10 Leyden jars?
I know that the capacitance is decreased in series combination but why do people say that a van de graaff generator can get fairly dangerous when connected to even a single Leyden jar? What do they mean?
Moreover why are we suggested not to touch a charged Leyden jar which is a small capacitor while nobody tells us not to touch the dome of a charged van de graaff generator (desktop version)which can be at a very high potential (~200,000V)?
Please answer in detail.
Any suggestion is of great help to me.
Best Answer
The capacitance of a dome of 20 cm radius is about 20 pF, whereas the capacitance of a typical Leyden jar is 1 nF. So attaching a Leyden jar to a van de graaff generator increases the charge 50 times.