Re: A&E Tesla coil, and Mind Freak. (fwd)

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Ed Phillips <evp@xxxxxxxxxxx>

A)  "walks out" by first hitting close to the coil, and this ionizes 
a bit of air further out which allows the next discharge to go to a 
more distant ground,  and this process repeats until some function of 
resistance of the ionized air path versus voltage and power dictates 
that it can't extend any more?   If not... then I don't see how 
multiple discharges would increase the distance if the first 
discharge has to make the full distance...  because discharge(1) 
won't know that discharge(2) through discharge(n) are following."

   Exactly so.  Have you ever tried blowing on streamers (from a 
safe distance of course) and watching them move?  Moves the ionized 
path around.

Ed