October 30, 2000 Tesla coil demonstration makes science lessons shockingly fun By Tim Stephens Daniel Greenhouse demonstrates one of the cool special effects that can be achieved with a Tesla coil--arcs of electricity breaking out of his fingertips. Photo courtesy of Daniel S. Greenhouse Daniel Greenhouse, a senior physics and math major, thinks learning about science should be fun. He began experimenting with electricity when he was 12 years old, and before long he was building Tesla coils that could generate huge arcs of electricity. This led to special-effects projects for concerts by the Grateful Dead and Phish. More recently, Greenhouse helped a group of UCSC physics faculty and local high school teachers develop a physics demonstration for use in high school science classes. The demonstration, involving such electrifying sights as a five-foot bolt of electricity striking a person in a metal suit, is part of the educational outreach activities of the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics (SCIPP). The visual spectacle of the exhibit provides an attention-grabbing context for teaching a range of basic concepts about the power of electromagnetic fields. "I've always been interested in using electronic devices to get people excited about science," Greenhouse said. "I love seeing someone's eyes open wide in wonder." The demonstration was developed as part of SCIPP's summer research associates program, which brings high school teachers into the SCIPP labs for hands-on research experience. Teachers from local schools in Santa Cruz and Watsonville were among those involved in the project, along with UCSC physics faculty and staff. The first public demonstration was held in July at Aptos High School's summer session. Hartmut Sadrozinski, adjunct professor of physics and coordinator of SCIPP's summer research program, said the response has been tremendous. "You could see from the expressions on the students' faces that they were really impressed," Sadrozinski said. He plans to bring the demonstration to other local high schools as well as to schools in San Jose and San Francisco. The next scheduled exhibition will be at Independence High School in San Jose in November. A video crew from a German television station is planning to tape that event, Sadrozinski said. The demonstration is also being used in SCIPP's one-day physics workshops for high school teachers. At the heart of the demonstration is a Tesla coil, a device invented in the 1890s by Nikola Tesla. Tesla was a brilliant scientist and inventor whose inventions include the alternating-current (AC) power system used to supply electrical power throughout the world. Tesla coils are the most effective means of producing ultra-high voltages and can generate impressive arcs of electricity similar to lightning bolts. Greenhouse built his first Tesla coil with a little help from his father when he was in seventh grade. In 1997, he went into business building and selling Tesla coils and other special-effects devices and performing demonstrations. The coil he built for SCIPP is one of the smaller ones his company offers. The largest can generate arcs 17 feet long. "These kinds of demonstrations show that science can be really fun, and it's also really fascinating when you understand how it works," Greenhouse said. "There is a lot of fun to be had that is instructive." SCIPP's outreach programs are supported by the UCSC Educational Partnership Center and agencies that fund research projects at SCIPP, including the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. For more information about the SCIPP physics demonstrations for high schools, contact Jacqueline Pizzuti at (831) 459-4499 or jackie@scipp.ucsc.edu. Information about Greenhouse's company, Tesla Systems Research, is available online at http://teslasystems.com. Return to Front Page