Lab 2: Electric Field

Name: John Hafele Date: 7/6/2023

Lab Partner(s): Connor Pascual, Alexander Hernandez, Dylan Mandel

Laboratory Report

NOTE: Show all your calculations. If needed, include additional pages or do your work on a separate
sheet and insert a scanned copy or picture to your lab report. Insert pictures of your electric field
configurations. Your grade will drastically be reduced if no work is shown.

A. Rectangle-triangle configuration

E near the rectangle -1330(V/m)

E near the tip of the triangle -67 (V/m)

Use equation (3) to compute:

Charge density on the rectangular plate -1.17*10^-8 (C/m2)

Charge density on the tip of the triangle -5.9*10^-10(C/m2)

B. Rectangle-ring-rectangle configuration

Use equation (2) to estimate the electric field strength near one of the rectangular plates

E = -1250(V/m)

Estimate the electric field strength within the ring

E = -107(V/m)

Calculations: (Show work)

Lab 2: Electric Field
Lab 2: Electric Field

Questions

1. Where is the electric charge most concentrated on the metal surfaces in the rectangle-
triangle configuration?

The most concentrated points of electric charge on the metal surfaces in the
rectangle-triangle configuration should be at the corners of the triangle. The highest
concentration will be here because the electric field is strongest at the points cause
charges to build up in these corners

2. What can you conclude about the electric field within hollow metal conductors (such as
the ring in the second configuration)?

I can conclude that electric fields within hollow metal conductors will have a
charge or zero or are supposed to as long as there is no error occurring.

3. Show that 1 Newton/Coulomb = 1 Volt/Meter

Lab 2: Electric Field

CONCLUSION

In the second lab the focus was Electric fields. The equipment we used for the lab was a power
supply, conductive paper, wires, metal pins, conductive tape, a marker, corkboard, voltmeter, and a
ruler. Setting up we created designs of conductive tape on the conductive paper, the first set up of
shapes was that of a rectangle and a triangle. These shapes were put to proper dimensions as outlined
in the lab manual. Once the shapes were made, we adjusted the power supply until the voltmeter read
15 volts to give us a base line. We placed a on the corner of the rectangle, this provided a power
reading along the conductive paper. Our task was to note the voltmeter readings around the shapes and
place 12 points where the voltmeter is giving similar readings. We repeated this process and drew lines
along the dots, placing points in centimeter increments to note the different voltage readings. We
created electric field lines according to the dots and lines we just created. After completing our field
maps for the rectangle and triangle set up, we got another piece of conductive paper and follower the
dimensions to make the 2 rectangle and circle set up. We rinsed and repeated the steps of finding
different voltage measurements around each of the shapes to end with 14 lines, creating 7 electric field
lines. The shapes created with the electric tape and the electric fields we drew are shown in the
attachment 1 below.

Figure 1:Both Setups for lab, on left Rectangle and Triangle setup, On the right, 2 Rectangle and Circle set up. Both
containing field lines drawn.

With the data taken from the voltmeter readings we used them and the equations (2) and (3) to
calculate the magnitude of Electric fields, E near the rectangle (-1330) and tip of the triangle (-67.27),
then the ‘E’ near one of the rectangular plates (-1250) and the field strength within the ring (-107.14).
Using the ‘E’ calculated we were able to use equation 3 and calculate the charge density on the
rectangle plate (-1.177*10^-8) and at the tip of the triangle (-5.9*10^-10). After calculations were
performed, we put all of the equipment back where it belongs and cleaned up our work station.
Lab 2: Electric Field

After reviewing the data collected my group and I found a few sources of error in the data we
collected and found. Our first source of error comes from the readings we found when collecting volt
readings inside the circle. The voltage readings taken inside the circle should have been 0, but what we
found was a given voltage. This is due to the conductive tape shapes we created were not flush against
the conductive paper. Since the tape in the shape of the circle was not flush against the paper voltage
was able to get into the center of the circle giving a reading. The reading inside the circle from the
voltmeter should have been zero if the tape was flush, not allowing power in. Our second source of
error could also have come from the same principle of the conductive tape not being all the way down.
The readings creating the fields could have been altered by letting more power in than was first
predicted to be. This flux in power could have put more or less power into the paper.

When looking at electric fields in everyday lives a lot of the objects we use every day have electric
fields. Ovens, refrigerators, and electronics all use electric fields. We were able to isolate and
determine our own electric fields in this lab by giving power to conductive shapes and studying the
power given off around them. We also see electric fields with lightning rods. When lightning rods have
circular shapes around them, they are able to create concentrated electric fields to disperse the
electricity given off from the lightning strikes. This helps to transmit the electricity given off from the
strike down through wire to the Earth to disperse the electricity. We can not read them, we can only
measure them, electric fields are around us constantly every day.