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Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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I have found that an oversized gold-leaf electroscope that has been
specially designed for the purpose makes an appealing interactive exhibit.
http://www.interactives.co.uk/images/ff-electroscope-r.jpg

But I've never experimented to discover how big the hanging piece of gold
leaf could be. I imagine that quite a large sheet of gold would impressively
extend and go limp again when electrostatically charged and discharged using
a rubbed plastic rod.

I have always regarded this as an experiment with electric charges, but
actually the physical properties of an extremely thin sheet of gold are just
as surprising and interesting. Gold leaf is commonly a mere fraction of the
thickness of a bacterium...

Promoting public engagement with science
through a contagious delight in phenomena
*
[log in to unmask] * http://www.interactives.co.uk
*
http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/ian-russell/0/636/305
*
Give people facts and you feed their minds for an hour.
Awaken curiosity and they feed their own minds for a lifetime.
*
Ian Russell
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