Re: Variable Capacitance and Inductance

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "rheidlebaugh by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <rheidlebaugh-at-zialink-dot-com>

Jim: I believe if you measure the electrostatic gradient of the earth you
will be quite impressed how large the charge change with elevation is. The
change is large enough to measure changes in cm of height from the earth
surface. It has been used to control wing level on drone aircraft.
  Robert  H  

> From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
> Date: Thu, 23 May 2002 17:20:58 -0600
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Re: Variable Capacitance and Inductance
> Resent-From: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Resent-Date: Thu, 23 May 2002 17:28:52 -0600
> 
> Original poster: "Jim Lux by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
> <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net>
> 
> 
>> 
>> The fact that "elevation" alone is not the reason.  A precision shielded
>> vacuum capacitor will measure the same value deep in the Earth, on the
>> Earth's surface, high in the sky, or in outer space.  "Elevation" is simply
>> not a factor.  You could get the same field change effects moving it
>> sideways toward a wall.  Reading Tesla words, I don't think he quite
>> understood that at the time he wrote this.  I don't think he "saw" what was
>> actually happening there.  But he was very close and soon did latter.
>> 
> 
> 
> There WILL be a small change due to the non unity relative dielectric
> constant of air. I think it's something like 1.0005 (not sure how many
> zeros).. There is also going to be a variability in the apparent
> capacitance because although it's not a great antenna, it still is an
> antenna, so some power will get radiated. And, the losses will change as a
> function of altitude (corona off the plate edges would probably be the
> leading contributor)
> 
> 
> 
>>> 
> 
> 
>