A 3000 volt electricity arc between two nails

Electricity arcs between the power rail and electrical pickup "shoe" on a London Underground train

An electric arc can melt calcium oxide

An electric arc is an electrical breakdown of a gas which produces an ongoing plasma discharge, resulting from a current flowing through normally nonconductive media such as air. A synonym is arc discharge. The phenomenon was first described by Vasily V. Petrov (Василий В. Петров), a Russian scientist who discovered it in 1802. An archaic term is voltaic arc as used in the phrase "voltaic arc lamp". Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Arcing_pickup_shoe. ... Image File history File links Arcing_pickup_shoe. ... The London Underground is an underground railway system - also known as a rapid transit system - that serves a large part of Greater London, United Kingdom and some neighbouring areas. ... Calcium oxide melting File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Calcium oxide melting File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Calcium oxide (CaO), commonly known as lime, quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. ... The term electrical breakdown has several similar but distinctly different meanings. ... For other uses, see Plasma. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Electrical conductance is the reciprocal of electrical resistance. ... Look up air in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Vasily Petrov Vasily Vladimirovich Petrov (Russian: ) (19 July [O.S. 8 July] 1761—1834) was a Russian experimental physicist, self-taught electrical technician, academician of Russian Academy of Sciences (since 1809; Corresponding member since 1802). ... --69. ...

The various shapes of electric arc are emergent properties of nonlinear patterns of current and electric field. The arc occurs in the gas-filled space between two conductive electrodes (often made of carbon) and it results in a very high temperature, capable of melting or vaporizing most materials. An electric arc is a continuous discharge, while a similar electric spark discharge is momentary. An electric arc may occur either in direct-current circuits or in alternating current circuits. In the latter case, the arc may re-strike on each half cycle of the current. An electric arc differs from a glow discharge in that the current density is quite high, and the voltage drop within the arc is low; at the cathode the current density may be as high as one million amps per square centimeter. ^[1] A termite cathedral mound produced by a termite colony: a classic example of emergence in nature. ... In electricity, current refers to electric current, which is the flow of electric charge. ... In physics, the space surrounding an electric charge or in the presence of a time-varying magnetic field has a property called an electric field. ... Alternative meanings: There is also an Electric-type Pokémon named Electrode. ... For other uses, see Carbon (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Temperature (disambiguation). ... In physics, melting is the process of heating a solid substance to a point (called the melting point) where it turns into a liquid. ... “Vaporization” redirects here. ... Look up Spark in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Electric glow discharge is a type of plasma formed by passing a current at 100V to several kV through a gas - usually argon or another noble gas. ... Diagram of a copper cathode in a Daniells cell. ...

On a commercial basis, electric arcs are used for welding, plasma cutting, for electrical discharge machining, as an arc lamp in movie theater projectors and Followspots in stage lighting. Electric arc furnaces are used to produce steel and other substances. Calcium carbide is made in this way as it requires a large amount of energy to promote an endothermic reaction (at temperatures of 2500 °C). Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. ... Plasma cutting is a process that is used to cut steel and other metals (or sometimes other materials) using a plasma torch. ... Electrical Discharge Machine Electrical discharge machining (or EDM) is a machining method primarily used for hard metals or those that would be impossible to machine with traditional techniques. ... 15 kW Xenon short-arc lamp. ... 35 mm Kinoton movie projector in operation. ... Followspot is a generic term used to describe any number of lighting instruments used to highlight performers on stage. ... This is a current Stagecraft collaboration! Please help improve it to good article standard. ... An electric arc furnace is a system that heats charged material by means of an electric arc. ... For other uses, see Steel (disambiguation). ... Calcium carbide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula CaC2. ... In thermodynamics, the word endothermic describes a process or reaction that absorbs energy in the form of heat. ... For other uses, see Chemical reaction (disambiguation). ... Celsius is, or relates to, the Celsius temperature scale (previously known as the centigrade scale). ...

Low-pressure electric arcs are used for lighting, e.g., fluorescent tubes, mercury and sodium street lamps, and camera flash lamps. Fluorescent lamps in Shinbashi, Tokyo, Japan Assorted types of fluorescent lamps. ... A high pressure sodium vapor street lamp from Australia. ...

Undesired or unintended electric arcing can have detrimental effects on electric power transmission and distribution systems and electronic equipment. Power line redirects here. ... This article is in need of attention. ... This article is about the engineering discipline. ...

An electric arc has a non-linear relationship between current and voltage. Once the arc is established (either by progression from a glow discharge or by momentarily touching the electrodes then separating them), increased current results in a lower voltage between the arc terminals. This negative impedance effect requires that some positive form of impedance to be placed in the circuit, if it is desired to maintain a stable arc. This property is the reason uncontrolled electrical arcs in apparatus become so destructive, since once initiated an arc will draw more and more current from a fixed-voltage supply until the apparatus is destroyed. In electrical engineering, Impedance is a measure of opposition to a sinusoidal electric current. ...

See also

• Arc transmitter
• Arc welding
• Arc lamp
• Spark gap
• Vacuum arc

// The arc converter, sometimes called the Poulsen arc, or arc transmitter, as it was commonly called, is a device used to convert DC energy into RF energy. ... Manual Metal Arc welding, also known as stick or MMA welding is one of the most common forms of welding. ... 15 kW Xenon short-arc lamp. ... A spark plug. ... A vacuum arc arises when the surface of metal electrodes in contact with a good vacuum begin to emit electrons because of heating or through exceeding the metals Work function. ...

References

1. ^ A. H. Howatson, An Introduction to Gas Discharges, Pergamon Press, Oxford pgs. 80-95

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Electric_arc

• Arc Analysis
• Unusual Arcing Photos
• Some more info about making electric arcs using a welder.
• Videos of 230,000 volt 3-phase "Jacobs Ladder" and unintentional 500,000 volt power arc