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!!0ZviLFh59My 04/26/12(Thu)20:52 No.18875754 File: 1335487957.gif-(49 KB, 266x244, ioncraft.gif)
>>18875499
A few minutes after the scientists drag away one of their number, frothing at the mouth with sheer, unrestrained murderlust, a table is provided. From several heavy cases, Tesla produces a strange assortment of objects. To a heavy-duty extension cable lying nearby he hooks leads, and soon these are placed near a queer little metal triangle Tesla has set on the table. The triangle has a post at each corner made of balsa wood, with a thin little wire ringing the top.
"This is complex in theory, but childishly simple in application," Tesla tells you. "When current is passed through that wire, it ionizes the air particles, effectively turning it into a plasma - like flame. You follow?"
You nod. You loved to muck with radios as a kid, so you can follow him this far, at least.
"The ionized air - plasma - conducts electricity. Naturally, the electricity in the charged object wants to flow through that to the neutrally-charged air, to ground itself."
You nod, understanding the principle of grounding. "Flows through the air..."
"Like lightning!" Tesla tells you. "Lightning works the same way, only incredibly swiftly! If we were to pump a lot more voltage though this simple model, the region of ionzied air would extend to something conductive enough to serve as a ground, and the electricity would arc between them. Lightning." |