High Voltage

Place a flat baking tray on a dry glass, rub a blown-up balloon vigorously on a woolen pullover and place it on the tray. If you put your finger near the edge of the tray, a spark jumps across.

A voltage equalization occurs between the metal and the finger. Although the spark is discharged with several thousand volts, it is just as harmless as the sparks produced when you comb your hair. An American scientist discovered that a cat’s fur must be stroked 9,200.000.000 times to produce a current sufficient to light a 75-watt bulb for a minute.