CENTENO, AIDAN JAMES M.

Date _________

ARANDA, NYLA THERESE

LITAN, VIVIEN

MATRIANO, KHIT RUSSELL

REYES, JOHN WENZEL

VILLENA, NORIEL KYLE

Group No. __6__

Section ICE- 2104

Laboratory Simulation No.2

Charges and Fields

Objectives:

● Verify the formula for the electric field of the point charge

● Explore the electric field lines of various charge configurations and the superposition principle
● Explore the relationship between the electric field and electric potential

Simulation Guide:
Simulation Procedures:

Go to the following site:

https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/charges-and-fields/latest/charges-and-fields_en.htm
l

Part I: Electric field of the point charge

1. Click on “Grid”. Place one positive charge in the middle of the screen as shown below.

2. Click on “Electric Field.” Can the arrows that the program uses to visualize the electric field be
called field lines? How are they similar and different from the field lines?

- The arrows in the simulation can be called field lines since it shows the direction and
displacement of the charge. The similarities between the field lines and the electric field
were they both visualized the charge’s direction and where it is placed. Thus, they differ in
accuracy since electric field lines show additional options to be placed on.
 3. Click on “Values”. Place electric field sensors (yellow circles) on five various points on the
grid. (For convenience, choose points on the intersections of the major grid lines.) Assuming
the point charge is placed in the origin of the coordinate system, record the following
information in the table below. Note the scale on the grid and make sure to use the correct
units. Show the print screen simulation below:

Sensor No. x y r = √x2+y2 −1 y/x |E| (V/m)

θ=tan

1 2 0 2 0 8.83

2 2 -2 2.83 -45 4.45

3 -2 -1 2.24 26.57 7.23

4 -3 1 3.16 -18.43 3.48

5 1 1 1.14 45 17.1

Questions:

4. Click Reset. Using the same setting from step 1, instead of a positive charge, place one negative
charge in the middle of the screen as shown below.
For Negative Charge:

For Positive Charge:

 Sensor No. x y r = √x2+y2 −1 y/x |E| (V/m)
θ=tan

1 2 0 2 0 7.97

2 2 -2 2.83 -45 4.32

3 -2 -1 2.24 26.57 17.6

4 -3 1 3.16 -18.43 4.17

5 1 1 1.41 45 18.2

Look at the data you recorded in the table – which of the columns would change, and how? Use the
simulator to check your answer. Show the print screen simulation below:

- As you can see at the table, the columns that would change is the electric field. Above is the
illustration of positive and negative charge where the value of electric field changed.

Part II: Electric Field of Multiple Charges

Questions:

1. Using physics law/physics computation, determine the magnitude and direction of the electric
field at the location of the following three charges on the screen as shown below: Let us say that the
value of the charges is 1 x 10−9 C.

𝑘𝑄1 𝑘𝑄1 𝑘𝑄1

𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑡 = 2 + 2 + 2
(𝑟1) (𝑟1) (𝑟1)
b. Use the sensor button to measure the electric field at this point and compare it to your results.
How close did you come?

- Using the sensor button and 15.5 v/m as the value. The value we obtain using the formula
𝑘𝑄1 𝑘𝑄1 𝑘𝑄1
𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑡 = 2 + 2 + 2 is different from the value displayed in the sensor. As a result, our result
(𝑟1) (𝑟1) (𝑟1)

is not very close to the value provided.

3. Check the Electric Field Box under settings.

4. What does the direction of the electric fields tell? Check a few of the arrows for accuracy. Were
they correct?

- We noticed that field lines point outward when the charge is positive and inward when the
charge is negative. The sensor's electric field always leans toward a negative charge.

5. Move around the sensors button. Where is the electric field strongest? Explain conceptually why
this is the strongest location.

- When a negative charge is close to a positive charge, the sensor's electric field always
 gravitates toward the negative charge. Because the negative (-) charge attracts and the
positive (+) charge repels. As a result, when they are close to one another, the electric field
is strong, and when they are far from one another, the electric field is weak. Away from the
center of charge, where the electric field is weak, the field lines are equally dispersed.

Post-Laboratory Questions:

1. During the laboratory simulation, arrows used to visualize the electric field lines. Can these
arrows be called field lines? How are they similar and different from the field lines?

- Based on the laboratory simulation, electric field lines are directed away from the positive
charge source charges, while the electric field lines in negative charge are directed
toward the source charges. It consists of imaginary directed lines that tangent to the field
vector at each point along its length. It also represents the direction of the field at a given
point, for example, if two field lines crossed at some point, it would imply that the electric
field was pointing in two different directions at the same location.

2. Would life be different if the electron were positively charged and the proton were negatively
charged? Does the choice of signs have any bearing on physical and chemical interactions?

- No, life would not be different since it would still be the same and only the label or the
description of the charge will change. Like charges would still repel each other and opposite
charges will attract each other. When it comes to physical and chemical interactions, the
choice of signs doesn’t have any bearing.

3. In fair weather, there is an electric field at the surface of the Earth, pointing down into the
ground. What is the sign of the electric charge on the ground in this situation?

- If the electric field is at the surface of the Earth and is pointing down, the electric charge
of the ground will be a negative charge. It is because electric fields start with positive
charges and end with negative charges.

Part III.

I – Point charges

1. Open the simulation https://ophysics.com/em4.html

A. Select Two Opposite Charges. Click on the green dot (Voltage Sensor), drag it over and place it
directly to the left of the blue charge and move horizontally across until you hit the red charge.

1. How does the voltage change?

- When the voltage sensor is on the blue charge's side, the voltage value is negative, when
you move the voltage sensor from the blue charge to the red charge, the voltage value
increases and becomes positive.

2. Is there a location where the voltage is zero?

- Yes, there is a point along the line joining the charges where the voltage is zero.
B. Select Two Like Charges

1. What happens to the voltage as you move towards either charge?

- When you move the voltage towards both charges the value of voltage is
increasing.

2. What happens to the voltage as you move away from both charges?

- When you move the voltage away towards both charges, the voltage value
decreases.

Conclusions:

As a result, we observed that the charges have their own effect on the electric field and its
direction, as evidenced by the fact that we were involved in the processing and determined the
electro potential and electric field strength at various points around the positive and negative
charges, as illustrated by the results and readings. The various values in the readings have their own
values that show that the sensor and the charges are across various points. When a charge is
present, the electric field is established in a similar manner.