Home▸Physics & Mechanics▸Static Electricity: The Hair-Raiser (2D)

Static Electricity: The Hair-Raiser — Side View

A 2D side-view model of the same Van de Graaff hair-raising physics: each strand is a stiff rod pivoting on a torsional spring, and Coulomb's law F=kQ1Q2/r^2 between strand tips pushes the hair to splay outward as charge rises.

Physics & Mechanics2DEasy60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted⇄ 3D version

Details

CategoryPhysics & Mechanics

RenderingCanvas 2D

DifficultyEasy

Target FPS60

ControlsSliders for total charge, number of strands, hair stiffness, and strand length; a discharge/ground button; click the head to zap in more charge; drag a grounded probe near the hair tips to discharge; drag empty canvas to pan; scroll/pinch to zoom.

static-electricitycoulomb-forceelectrostaticsphysicshalloween

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A 2D side-profile take on the same real Coulomb repulsion demo as the 3D version, but modeled differently on purpose: each strand is a single rigid rod on a torsional spring rather than a multi-segment chain, with all of its charge concentrated at the tip. The genuine inverse-square law F = kQ1Q2/r² between tips still drives the flare as total charge climbs.

⚙ Under the hood

Side-view 2D model of the same real Coulomb repulsion (F=kQ1Q2/r^2): each hair strand is a rigid rod on a torsional spring, splaying outward as charge rises and relaxing when grounded.

static-electricitycoulomb-forceelectrostaticsphysicshalloween

2D · HTML5 Canvas 2D · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install