Van de Graaff

American  

[van-duh graf] / ˈvæn də ˌgræf /

noun

1. Robert Jemison 1901–1967, American physicist.

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Van de Graaff Scientific  

/ văn′dəgrăf′ /

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.

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Example Sentences

And the answers may surprise you - a Van de Graaff generator and a theremin.

From BBC • May 10, 2026

“The John Trump I knew would have been horrified,” said John Van de Graaff, whose father, the famed scientist Robert Van de Graaff, was John Trump’s longtime business partner.

From Washington Post • May 3, 2020

Figure 18.38 Schematic of Van de Graaff generator.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

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

From The Guardian • Feb. 10, 2013

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