College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
5C30.15 - Blow a Capacitor
This may be done in two ways. You may burn the capacitor up by turning up the voltage on the variable power supply. You will get smoke and some sparks but the capacitor will go nonconductive before it blows up. To blow the capacitor up in a dramatic way turn the voltage on the power supply up to about 120 volts, but leave the power switch off (This will be more reliable when the Variac is replace with the large isolation transformer). When you turn the switch on the capacitor will blow up with a good bang. You may then remove the smoke filled box and show the coiled innards of the deceased.
Disclaimer: These demonstrations are provided only for illustrative use by persons affiliated with The University of Iowa and only under the direction of a trained instructor or physicist. The University of Iowa is not responsible for demonstrations performed by those using their own equipment or who choose to use this reference material for their own purpose. The demonstrations included here are within the public domain and can be found in materials contained in libraries, bookstores, and through electronic sources. Performing all or any portion of any of these demonstrations, with or without revisions not depicted here entails inherent risks. These risks include, without limitation, bodily injury (and possibly death), including risks to health that may be temporary or permanent and that may exacerbate a pre-existing medical condition; and property loss or damage. Anyone performing any part of these demonstrations, even with revisions, knowingly and voluntarily assumes all risks associated with them.