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Re: Capacitor charge, were is it?



Here's an interesting little poser following on from this post....

> > Food for thought -
> > 
> > >A Tesla coil can put a charge on the secondary terminal. If this terminal
> > is >the outside skin of a space station could a space station charged by an
> > on >board Tesla coil attract or repel a nearby shuttle that is charged by
> > it's own >Tesla coil?
> > 
> > This could make Tesla coils very popular in the near future.
> > 
> > >>>> Jack C. <<<<
> 
> Jack,
> 
> You bet it could!!  This is the isotropic capacitor bit again.  The 
> forces which would cause the motion are all coulombic.  The forces are 
> real and viable. A number of scenarios involving space propulsion where 
> no matter is ejeced are under study at this time.  This is the very 
> premise of the Electric Spacecraft Journal magazine.  To investigate 
> these possiblilities.  The Tesla coil has a great chance in this area.
> 
> Richard Hull , TCBOR

     To charge the skin of the craft requires charge separation. I am
assuming that the skin is, say, positively charged for one craft. 
This implies that the electrons removed from the skin are stored 
somewhere internally (if nothing is to be ejected). Questions : is 
there a nett charge on the outer skin under these conditions? Is the 
craft itself not a self-contained capacitor (no nett external field)?
In a grounded TC we are charging the terminal at the expense of the 
ground, counterpoise or whatever, and that is external to the 
terminal.

Malcolm