Electric Arcs

Electric Arcs

An electric arc is an electrical breakdown of a gas which produces an ongoing plasma discharge, resulting from a current through normally nonconductive media such as air. A synonym is arc discharge. An arc discharge is characterized by a lower voltage than a glow discharge, and relies on thermionic emission of electrons from the electrodes supporting the arc. An archaic term is voltaic arc, as used in the phrase "voltaic arc lamp".

Read more about Electric Arcs:  History, Overview, Uses, Undesired Arcing, Arc Suppression

Famous quotes containing the word electric:

    The more I see of democracy the more I dislike it. It just brings everything down to the mere vulgar level of wages and prices, electric light and water closets, and nothing else.
    —D.H. (David Herbert)