Keith ,
Interesting experiment with the Hg arc. (Fred isn't too happy with
the results, so he probably wants to see the full 800 amps through
there)
Do you have a G-M or other type of radiation monitor?
It would be interesting to know if there was any small amount of
induced radioactivity in the Hg from the large amounts of current
flowing through it, possibly due to activation one of the
relatively unstable isotopes (or electronium). There should not
be any change before vs. after, of course - but is there?
203 Hg is often used as a manufactured tracer, but there is a tiny
amount of radioactivity in some natural ores which simply
shouldn't be there, due to the short half-life.
Jones
