Background Research

What is Jacob's Ladder?

Jacob's Ladder is a high voltage device that can be used to create an arc, that has been produced with the use of the high voltage, traveling up two electrodes. This happens because of the hot air rises, as well as the arc. However, since this experiment does include the use of both high voltages, and currents that can be considered as lethal. For this, one must make sure that nothing nor no one should come in contact with the ladder or the transformer. For this bystanders, have to keep a fairly large distance from the ladder in general. The ladder must be used in a well ventilated area due to the fact that it can create Ozone in result to the electrical discharges. Also, one cannot stare at the arc for too long since it can result with with a blinding effect due to the amount of UV waves radiating off from the electrical arc.

An 'arc' that appears whenever the ladder is turned on is due to the fact that there are electrons passing through the copper wires. These electrons are trying to get away from each other, which results with them 'jumping' from wire to wire back and forth.This small spark is very hot, and can be considered as plasma.

The arc is able to travel upward with the help of the warm air; ionize air radiating off from the arc is at a lower resistance compared to the hot air, which allows the Arc to move upward rather than downwards or staying in the same place. Paschen's law is what pretty much explains just how the transformer is able to create this arc of electricity across these two copper tubes. This law basically explains what voltage is needed in order to ignite a discharge- or in this case an electrical arc, in between two electrodes with the help of both gas and distance in between. The arc produces a static like noise as the spark travels up the ladder before finally reaching the top, and dying before starting up all over again. This is due to the electric current passing through the tube as well as the millions of electrons jump from wie to wire, trying to get further away from each other.