范氏起电机

范氏起電機

Fànshìqǐdiànjī

popculture

Measure Word

一台范氏起电机 tái

Meanings

1 Van de Graaff generator
2 electrostatic generator that produces high voltages on a metal sphere

Characters

(transliteration of Van)

raise, generate

Examples

她摸了范氏起电机，头发都竖起来了。

Tā mō le Fànshìqǐdiànjī, tóufà dōu shù qǐlái le.

She touched the Van de Graaff generator and her hair stood on end.

科技馆里有一台大型范氏起电机。

Kējìguǎn lǐ yǒu yī tái dàxíng Fànshìqǐdiànjī.

There is a large Van de Graaff generator in the science museum.

Tips

culture

范氏 = 范 'Fan' (the Chinese surname character used to transliterate 'Van') + 氏 'family/clan'. Invented by American physicist Robert J. Van de Graaff in 1929 at MIT, originally to drive particle accelerators. Today it's most famous as the science-museum demo that makes your hair stand up.

Stroke Order

范 fàn

氏 shì

起 qǐ

电 diàn

机 jī