Behavior of point gaps at 60 cycles

Values of arc-over voltages for point gaps in air have often been considered rather inconsistent and difficult to reproduce with reasonable accuracy. Accordingly, a study was made to determine, first, if certain types of electrodes might give more consistent results than others and, if so, under what conditions, and, second, whether or not it would be possible to derive a formula which would take into account disturbing factors such as humidity. The results of this study are summarized in this paper, which, the author hopes, may be a small contribution toward a better understanding of arc-over phenomena.