Although there were several devices used in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to study static electricity, the two most well known were the Leyden jar and the Wimshurst machine. The quest for more knowledge involving static electricity was a theme of these two centuries. First off, the Leyden jar was discovered, accidently, by a Dutch physicist by the name of Pieter van Musschenbroek in 1745. The Leyden jar contained an electrode located at the top that was then connected with some kind of conductor to the inner surface of a glass jar. The charges on the inside and outside differ with whether or not they are positive or negative, but in any case there is an equal amount of them. At first water was used in the inside to be created as a means of travel for the condcutor, but later it was discovered that wrapping the glass with metal foil was a better method.
The Wimshurst machine creates static electric sparks when cranked. It is made of two plastic discs, each with spaced out metal sectors. This machine has to supporters on either side and contains a hand wheel used to crank and operate this piece of science equiptment. It also comes with induced charge collecting enablers and Leyden jar capacitators to help maximize its static electric sparks and effectiveness. The hand crank allows for the sparks to happen.
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