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Van de Graaff

American  
[van-duh graf] / ˈvæn də ˌgræf /

noun

  1. Robert Jemison 1901–1967, American physicist.


Van de Graaff Scientific  
/ văndəgrăf′ /
  1. American physicist who in 1929 invented an improved electrostatic generator (later called the Van de Graaff generator) that was adapted for use as a particle accelerator. The generator became an important research tool for atomic physicists and was also used to produce high-energy x-rays helpful in treating cancer.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Edward Fenner spent five years working on a graduate research paper at York University of Canada that focused on the partnership between Robert Van de Graaff and John Trump.

From Washington Post • May 3, 2020

What is the capacitance of a large Van de Graaff generator’s terminal, given that it stores 8.00 mC of charge at a voltage of 12.0 MV?

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

His energy arcs from stage to auditorium like a Van de Graaff spark.

From The Guardian • Feb. 10, 2013

Credit: How to Tame Lightning Who at school didn't like to play with a Van de Graaff generator?

From Science Magazine • Dec. 22, 2011

There he was immersed in an effort to produce high-energy protons to probe the atomic nucleus, using his balky Tesla coils and Van de Graaff generators.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik