Phys2426 -Goderya

Name: Braden Wells Section:

Phys2426
Lab – Electric Potential and Field Lines – Online Lab

Objective: To plot electric field pattern of various charge configurations and to learn about electric potential
and equipotential lines.

Required Supplies and Equipment: A internet capable computer, laptop, pen, paper, pencil, calculator.

Required Simulation: You will use the simulation that is found at the following weblink.
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/charges-and-fields

This lab has been adopted from PhET website.

Activity 1: Electric Field Lines of Point Charges

Perform each of the steps described here and explore the related questions, but do not write or provide
answers.
1. From the box at the bottom of the screen, drag a red +1 nC charge into the middle of the screen.
2. If not already selected: Select ‘Electric Field’. How does the brightness of the arrow relate to the
strength of the field? Explore the following questions but do not answer them here. What happens when
you check/uncheck ‘Direction only’? Which way do the arrows point for a positive charge?
3. Drag the red +1 nC charge back into the box at the bottom, and then drag a blue –1 nC charge onto the
screen. Explore the following questions but do not answer them here. Which way do the electric field
arrows point for a negative charge?
4. Click on the yellow Sensor at the bottom and drag it across the electric field. What information do the
Sensors show?
5. What happens to the electric field as you move further from the charges?
6. Take the Voltage meter (labeled ‘0.0 V’). What information does the voltmeter give? What information is
given when you click on the pencil (you should have a green circle)? What does the green circle
represent? (If you’re not sure, move on and come back to this later.)

Activity 2 – Relationship between Field lines and equipotential.

1. How can you make a charge of +2q? How can you make a charge of -3q?
To make a charge of +2q you can put 2 red + charges one on top of the other. To make a -3q
charge you stack 3 blue - charges one on top another.

2. Determine what charges (magnitude and positive/negative) would give you the electric field lines shown
below?
(You may need to try different combinations to determine the magnitudes of each charge.)

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To get this electric field you would place a +2 nC charge and a -1 nC charge 149.9 cm away
from each other.

3. When you have two opposite but equal magnitude charges along a horizontal line (similar to the picture
above), where is the electric field the greatest? Is there ever a point where the field will be zero?
The field strength will be at it's greatest at the either of the point charges. There will never be
a point where the field strength will equal 0.

4. When you have two of the same charges along a horizontal line, where is the electric field the greatest?
Is there ever a point where the field will be zero?
The field strength will be the greatest at either of the individual charges. The field strength will
be 0 midway between the two points.

5. Determine what charge/charges (magnitude and positive/negative) would give each the lines of
equipotential shown below?
(For each situation, turn the ‘Electric Field’ on and off to see how the electric field lines compare to the
equipotential lines)

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a) b)

c)

d)
a) +2 nC charges
b) -3 nC charges
c) place +3 nC charges and -3 nC charges 1.5m apart
d) place two +3 nC charges 1.5m away from each other

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6. When you have two opposite but equal magnitude charges along a horizontal line (similar to the picture
above), where is the potential the greatest? Is there ever a point where the potential will be zero?
Potential is greatest at the positive charge. The potential will be zero midway between the two
points.

7. When you have two of the same charges along a horizontal line, where is the potential the greatest? Is
there ever a point where the potential will be zero?
The potential is greatest at either of the point charges. There is no point where the potential will be
zero.

Activity 3 Electric Field of two charged plates

1. Make a long vertical line of positive charges by placing them very close together, similar
to what’s shown to the right. How does the electric field change as you move around the
line of charges?

Electric field strength increses as you move closer to the central charge.

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2. Make a long vertical line of negative charges 2 meter from the positive charges similar to what’s shown
below. This is your parallel-plate capacitor. How does the strength of the electric field change between
the two lines? How does the direction of the electric field change between the two plates?

The strength of the electric field remains constant between the two lines. The direction of the
electric field is always from positive to negative.

3. Place sensors at 3 different locations between the lines to get readings of the electric field, each at
different distances from the lines.
4. Use the voltmeter to draw lines of equal potential at the locations of the three sensors by clicking on the
pencil button on the voltmeter. When you have the voltmeter at each distance, click this button. Doing
so will record the potential V and draw a green line on the screen. Include a screenshot of your
capacitor with 3 sensors and 3 green lines/circles.

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5. Fill in the table below for each of the locations. (In order to see the potentials, you may need to move the
sensors.)
Location Distance from Electric field E Potential V
positive plate (V/m) (V)
(m)
1 1.46 164 -60
2 0.944 128 1.1
3 0.461 170 60.0

Activity 4
1. Place six +1 nC charges on top of each other somewhere on the left
r (m) E (V/m)
side of the screen.
1 56
(It can go anywhere, but there needs to be enough space to measure 8 m
away.) 2 13.7
2. From the box at the bottom, drag a Sensor and place it 1 m to the 3 6.02
right of your charge. This sensor measures the E field at the location 4 3.39
of its placing. In the table at right, record the E field magnitude at a 5 2.17
distance r of 1 m. Ignore the degrees. 6 1.50
3. Drag the Sensor to the other distances shown in the table, then 7 1.10
record the E field measurements. 8 0.85
4. Drag your Sensor back and replace it in the box at the bottom of the screen.
5. Using the voltmeter, record the potential V by drawing a green line on the
r (m) V (V)
screen at each distance. Fill in the table at the far right. Include a screenshot 1 55.2
with all of the green circles. 2 27.2
6. Write the equation for the electric field at any distance r from a point charge 3 18.1
q: 4 13.5
E=(q/((4pi)(Epsilon_0)(r^2))) 5 10.8
6 9.0
7 7.6
8 6.7

7. Write the equation for the potential at any distance r from a point charge q:
V=(q/((4pi)(Epsilon_0)(r)))

8. Using the table above, make a graph in Excel of electric field E and distance r
to determine Coulomb’s constant k using the appropriate trendline.
(Hint: there are 2 ways to do this. Either make a graph and then create the appropriate
trendline, or figure out how to make the graph into a straight line and then use a linear
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trendline. Once you have a trendline, compare the equation written above to the
equation of the trendline to find k)

9. Insert the graph below and write down the k value that you found. Compare
this value to the known value found on the equation sheet or in class slides
using percent error or percent difference (whichever is most appropriate)?

10. Using the table above, make a graph in Excel of voltage V and distance r to
determine the constant k again using the appropriate trendline.
(The same hint as above applies, but the work will be slightly different because the
equation is different.)

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11. Insert the graph below and write down the k value that you found. Compare
this value to the known value using percent error/difference?