The Plasma 360 globe

[dryson]

I recently purchased a plasma 360 globe from Spencers and have been enjoying watching and touching the globe where various affects tingle the fingertips and the imagination.

The question I have is what process is actually occuring within the globe? What is making the reactions occur like they do? Are the reactions occuring because the energy inside of the globe is reacting to the energy outside of the globe or is the energetic reaction occuring between the reaction and the glass globe that houses the gas and energetic reaction?

Another questsion I have is why when I place my hand on the northern hemisphere of the globe and apply a liberal amount of pressure, liberal meaning an inconsistent and casually changing location of my hand to achieve the desired outcome, all of the energy streams focus from one point on the emitter to the palm of my hand. When I decrease the pressure that I am placing upon the globe the energy streams begin their random pattern of dispersion over the interior of the globe. Now when I place my hand on either of the East or Western hemisphere's of the globe and apply the same pressure as I did on the Northern hemsisphere the result is not as focused, meaning that the result of me applying pressure focuses the energy stream somewhat but there are still a few stray energy streams present. Why would the same result not be consistent on all hemispheres given the fact that I have applied the same amount of pressure to all three hemispheres? This is not a politcal science question either.

 

[harper05]

when you touch the side hemispheres are you touching the base of the globe as well? could be a ground thing? could also be the pattern projected by the shape of the current provider or whatever you call that thing in the middle. It is not a sphere, it has that stand underneath it, so it may have a cardioid type of pattern. when your hand is on top it is furthest away from the copper wire wound up in the stand. This wire would also create resistance when your hand is on the side. If you could have a current provider that was a sphere with no stand, and an omnidirectional pattern the act of pressing your hand on it might have the same effect in all hemispheres. Just a guess...

I also found this info on wiki; , I think it is from the manual

These all work on the following principle: A high voltage (low current) power source of about 50,000 volts excites the electrons in the PLASMA inside the glass sphere or disk. This high energy is enough to boost the electrons into higher orbits around the atoms of the gas. When the electrons drop back down to lower orbits they give off light in the form of photons. In the process, PLASMA is formed. PLASMA is the fourth state of matter (solid, liquid, gas, plasma). PLASMA is like liquid electricity. The streams of plasma emanate outward in the dazzling display you see. They travel randomly outward to the inside of the glass. If you put your finger or hand on the outside of the glass there will be an indirect path to ground (your body) induced. However, these toys are perfectly safe since glass is a great insulator. Electricity would rather flow through 1000 miles of copper wire than it would through 1 cm of glass.

APPLICATIONS

Stars
Plasma is the same stuff that stars are made of. Subsequently, there is more plasma than there is anything else in the Universe.

Lightning
Lightning bolts are also made of plasma; a superheated bolt of lightning contains about 1 Coulomb or 6,250,000,000,000,000,000 (6,25 Pentillion) electrons, yet you cannot see them since the electrons are "point particles" and thus have no apparent size.

 

[dryson]

When I touch the side hemispheres my hand is knowhere near the base. I just wonder maybe if the flow of electricty is following through the path of least resistance and since my arm is straight and there is less resistance present the circuit is complete and flows more uniformally whereas when I place my hand on either hemisphere the left or the right my hand is bent which would cause resistance where some of the current does not complete the circuit.

 

[MeteorWayne]

You hand is acting as a capacitor and providing a conductive path to ground, or a lower voltage.

 

[dryson]

You hand is acting as a capacitor and providing a conductive path to ground, or a lower voltage.

So given the relative placement of my hand on the plasma globe meaning that my hand is pararrel to the deck and placed on the northern hemisphere as opposed to my hand being placed vertical on the eastern or western hemisphere will create a different path of conductivity?

 

[MeteorWayne]

Wherever you place you hand (or fingers) provides a focus for lower voltage on the outside than the inside.

 

[dryson]

What you are saying makes sense but your response does not answer the question why when I apply pressure to the northern hemisphere that the stream is focused but when I apply the same amount of pressure to the eastern and western hemisphere of the plasma globe the stream is unfocused.