English
The Van de Graaff generator was invented in 1931 by the American physicist Robert Jemison Van de Graaff. This device was initially used to generate electrostatic charge for particle accelerators. The vdg is a constant current source which means it supplies a constant current to all appliances connected to it (as against a battery which is a constant voltage source)
Etymology
from w:Robert J. Van de Graaff|Robert Jemison Van de Graaff who developed it
Noun
wikipedia
Van der Graaff generator
#physics a device in which an electric charge is built up on a large spherical electrode by means of a rapidly moving belt
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