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How to Make a Plasma Spark

Plasma is made of free electrons stripped from atoms and is the fourth state of matter after a solid, liquid and gas. It is used throughout the world for welding, lighting, etching and in nuclear fusion reactors. Creating a plasma spark from common materials such as batteries and wires is easy. The question is not how to make a plasma spark but how powerful of a spark is desired.

Things You'll Need

Square 9-volt batteries, 5
Wires with alligator clips, 2
Steel wool

Instructions

- 1
  
  Connecting batteries in parallel increases the total amperage of the circuit.
  
  Attach the five 9-volt batteries together in parallel so that all of the positive terminals are connected to one wire and all of the negative terminals are connected to another wire.
  
  By attaching the batteries together in parallel, the total amperage (or how many electrons are pushed through the wires at any given time) is increased. Connecting the batteries together in series will increase the total voltage.
- 2
  
  Internal combustion engines ignite fuel through plasma spark plugs.
  
  Strike one bare end of the positive wire to the bare end of the negative wire until they spark. This spark is newly created plasma from ionized oxygen atoms in the air. Eventually the ions will bond together forming ozone gas.
- 3
  
  The quick flash from a burned-out light bulb is a small plasma spark melting the filament.
  
  Take a small thread from the steel wool and attach it between the two bare wires. Almost instantly, as the steel wool glows red-hot, it will melt and create a small amount of plasma just before it cools down again after the circuit is broken.

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