Leyden Jar Guilty as Charged Desk Mat

The Leyden Jar is an early type of electric capacitor capable of storing an electrical charge of high voltage static electricity. It consists of a glass jar with metal foil lining the inside and outside. An electrode connecting the inner foil exits the jar thorough a non-conducting stopper. You charge the Leyden Jar using an electrostatic generator, such as a Van de Graaff generator, or go fly a kite in a thunderstorm like Benjamin Franklin. On second thought, don’t do that. It’s dangerous. Better to shuffle your shoes across the carpet in winter to generate a static charge and then transfer it to the Leyden Jar to prank your friends. If someone touches it and gets a mild shock, then truly the jar is guilty as “charged”. Just a bit of tech humour for electronics and technology enthusiasts who like a play on words. Also makes great gift for a science teacher or star physics student.