Understanding the Biefeld-Brown Effect

[Mechdude]

Homework Statement

i was looking at an article on wikipedia on the biefeld brown effect
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biefeld–Brown_effect
and i could not understand why there's some form of repulsion between the two electrodes,
thought the are oppositely charged and at insanely high voltages

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

arent oppositely charged objects supposed to attract?

and what does the statement
" . . . This produces an equally scaled opposing force in the lower electrode ..."
in the article mean? does it mean that when the now positively charged particles are attracted by a force in the direction of the negative electrode, there is an equal and opposite reaction on the positive electrode?

 

[mark726]

Hello,

Thank you for bringing up this interesting topic. The Biefeld-Brown effect is a phenomenon that has been studied for many years and is still not fully understood. However, there are a few possible explanations for the repulsion between the two electrodes.

One explanation is that the high voltage applied to the electrodes creates a strong electric field between them. This electric field can ionize the air molecules between the electrodes, creating a plasma. This plasma then interacts with the electric field, creating a force that pushes the electrodes apart.

Another explanation is that the high voltage creates a gradient in the electric field, with a stronger field at one electrode than the other. This gradient can create a force that pushes the electrodes apart.

As for your second question, the statement "This produces an equally scaled opposing force in the lower electrode" means that the force pushing the positively charged particles towards the negative electrode is balanced by an equal and opposite force pushing the negative electrode away from the positive electrode. This is due to the laws of conservation of momentum and energy.

I hope this helps to clarify the Biefeld-Brown effect for you. Keep exploring and asking questions!