question about "lambda" (fwd)

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 14:25:18 -0500
From: Matthew Boddicker <shmerpleton_town@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: question about "lambda"

Hi, this is Matthew Boddicker
It's either a brain-fart or just a lack of reading the right information, 
but what exactlty does "1/2 lambda" and "1/4 lambda" mean exactly?

Also, probably tied into the same subject, I was tuning my coil by moving an 
alligator clip connecting the wire from the primary coil to the capacitor 
from the max inductance down to the minumum. I was getting very little 
sparks at the beginning, even when I had  the primary circuit the same 
calculated frequency as the secondary. The capacitor is 4.075 picofarads.  
The "tuned" circuit, to match the same frequency of 438 kHz secondary, is 
being given an inductance of 32 microhenrys. But at this inductance (a 
grounded rod was held 3.5" away from the top load), there was a tiny bit of 
purple corona. This observation was consistant until I hit an inductance of 
11microhenrys when many sparks broke out between the top load and the 
grounded object. This frequency for the primary is calculated at 752kHz. 
That's over 300kHz off! why does that work!?!?!

Thanks,
Matthew Boddicker

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