Re: Can you project static electricity?

Yes! As a matter of fact, I have that demonstration on my electrostatics site, under Vandegraaff Generators Page, Hints and Demos, under Magic Blinking Wand

The easiest way to create an invisible beam of electrostatic effects is to create a stream of charged air. This can be done with a paperclip taped to the sphere of a classroom VandeGraaff Generator. See the demo called Paperclip Ray. Stick a bent paperclip on your "VDG", turn it on, and a stream of charged air spews out. Hold the neon bulb from the "magic blinking wand" in the stream of air, and it will begin to blink!

Actually, this is not "static electricity" at all. It is an electric current which takes a path through the air. The current is created by the high voltage of the VandeGraaff machine. Most people think "static electricity" is electricity which is static. Actually, "static" is a high voltage charge separation, and it doesn't have to stay still. In the above "invisible ray" demonstration, the "static" is flowing through the air. How can something remain "static" while it is flowing? Heh heh. Because the word "static" is wrong in the first place. Don't say "static electricity", say "high voltage", or maybe "separated charges."

The other way to send charge through the air is with artificial lightning. This is quite dangerous, but many advanced hobbyists do it all the time. Check out the Tesla Coil pictures on my site for some examples.