Faraday cage

American  

noun

Physics.

1. an enclosure constructed of grounded wire mesh or parallel wires that shields sensitive electrical instruments from electrostatic interference.

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Faraday cage British  

noun

1. an earthed conducting cage or container used to protect electrical equipment against electric fields

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Faraday cage Scientific  

1. A container made of a conductor, such as wire mesh or metal plates, shielding what it encloses from external electric fields. Since the conductor is an equipotential, there are no potential differences inside the container. The metal hull of an aircraft acts as a faraday cage, protecting its occupants from lightning. Faraday cages are used to protect electronic equipment from such electrical interference as electromagnetic interference.

2. Also called Faraday shield

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Etymology

Origin of Faraday cage

First recorded in 1915–20; named after M. Faraday

Example Sentences

To really work, though, a Faraday cage has to completely enclose the thing it's supposed to shield — and tinfoil hats don't do that.

From Salon • Jul. 24, 2021

Nissan unveiled its solution, which turned out to be an armrest that’s actually a Faraday cage.

From The Verge • Jun. 29, 2017

Manning, who is 29, tapped an unplugged microwave next to the door and asked me to place my laptop inside: The Faraday cage in the microwave would block radio waves, she explained.

From New York Times • Jun. 12, 2017

In the current setup, the Faraday cage is lined with squares of wire coils, called Merritt coils.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 23, 2016

The doc wheeled my gurney into the crash and hum of the utilidors and then put it on a freight tram that ran to the Imagineering compound, and thence to a heavy, exposed Faraday cage.

From Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Doctorow, Cory