Van de Graaff Explanation

The Van de Graaff is a generator with a belt that sends charges to the top on the metal globe. The Van de Graaff is positively charged.. It is positively charged because the band inside the glass tube takes electrons from the glass tube, making the glass positive, and the band with a negative charge. The Teflon Pulley has a higher polarity than the belt due to triboelectric series. If you put pie pans on the top of the metal globe, when you turn the generator on, the pie pans fly off. They fly off because they are positive as well as the Van de Graaff, so the two positive charges repel each other. The Teflon Pulley exchanges electrons with the band making the Van de Graaff a positive generator. The Teflon Pulley gathers up the negative charges. The belt sends charges to the Teflon Pulley because it exchanges electrons which makes the Teflon Pulley positive. This makes the metal globe positive.