Wimshurst machine
- noun
- Specialized
:
máquina Wimshurst
- Using a Wimshurst machine, the students generated visible sparks in their science class.
Examples
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The Wimshurst machine was a key invention in the field of early electricity experiments.
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A well-maintained Wimshurst machine can still produce impressive static discharges today.
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The Wimshurst machine generates high voltage.
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A Wimshurst machine can create impressive sparks.
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In the physics lab, the students watched as the Wimshurst machine generated powerful static electricity, creating bright sparks.
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During the science demonstration, the Wimshurst machine successfully accumulated a charge, resulting in a dramatic electric discharge.
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The Wimshurst machine was instrumental in demonstrating the principles of electrostatics to the audience during the lecture.
Synonyms
A machine that makes strong static electricity and can produce sparks
A machine that makes a strong electric charge by collecting static electricity
Surface Forms
Morphology
Wimshurst + machine
This is an eponymous technical term: knowing 'machine' (a powered device) does not let a learner infer the specific meaning ‘electrostatic generator’ from the proper name 'Wimshurst', which is not a compositional semantic element. The denotation requires specialized or encyclopedic knowledge rather than knowledge of the constituent words, so it would be opaque to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Wimshurst machine is named after its inventor, James Wimshurst, who built a hand-cranked device with two turning disks that rubbed metal parts to make 'static electricity' and bright sparks. That's why the name now refers to the machine that makes strong electric sparks.
