Physics 1, Lab18

Name: Abdulaziz Alabdali
Equipotential
Go to http://phet.colorado.edu/simulations/sims.php?sim=Charges_and_Fields
and click on Run Now.
Complete Part 1 for chapter 18 and part 2 and 3 for chapter 19.
Part 1: What is an equipotential line and how is this simulation related to work and
energy?
1) Turn on Show Numbers
2) Place a positive 1 nano-coulomb charge near the center of the screen.
3) In the lower left of the screen is a meter for indicating electric potential, in volts, created by the charge
that you introduced. Record the voltage and turn on Plot.
Voltage Recorded in simulation = 5.6 V

4) This line is much like a line on a geologic topo map. Explain the similarity.
Equipotential line means the potential along the line is same. So, no work will be done in moving a
charge along the equipotential line. In geologic topo map, the line means same altitude. Hence the
potential energy is same. Therefore, no work is done in moving an object along the topo line.
5) You are on the side of a hill with a topo map of the region. If you walked so that your trip follows a topo
line you would be doing no work on your backpack. Why?
. In geologic topo map, the line means same altitude. Hence the potential energy is same. Therefore,
no work is done in moving an object along the topo line. Because, work done is change in in
potential energy (if the kinetic energy is zero, which is the case here.).
6) If a second charge were placed on this line (dont do it), how much work is need to move it along the line?
No work will be done in moving the charge along the equipotential line.
7) Move the meter closer to the charge at the center of the screen. What is the new electric potential? Turn on
plot again ?
New electric potential measured=13.5V

8) Remember that electric potential is energy per charge (1 volt = 1 Joule/Coulomb). Is electric potential a
vector or a scalar?
Its scaler quantity as it has magnitude but no direction.
9) If a second positive charge were introduced and moved from the first equipotential line created to the
second line (closer to the charge), would this involve positive or negative work?
Explain.
Positive work
10) If the second positive charge were moved away from the first Positive charge, would this involve
positive or negative work.
Negative work.
11) When energy was studied earlier in the year, a connection was found between kinetic energy, potential
energy, positive work, and negative work. What is the connection?
12) Click on Clear All
Part 2 What is the relationship between the electric potential at a point in space and the
distance from an electric charge?
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Place a positive 1 nano-coulomb charge on the screen.

Turn on Show numbers
Turn on tape measure.
Use the tape measure to find and record the distance from the charge to the equipotential sensor.
Record the voltage as indicated on the equipotential sensor.
6) Change the location of the positive charge to at least six widely different distances from the
equipotential sensor. Record the voltage reading and distance at each location.
7) Use Excel to plot these data sets.
8) What is the mathematical relation between these variables?
Part 3 What are the characteristics of the electric field sensors?

1) Place a positive 1 nano-coulomb charge at the center of the screen.
2) Click on Show Numbers.
3) Bring out an electric field senor.
4) What are electric field units?
5) Is the electric field a scalar or a vector?
6) To do its job, the electric field senor should have a charge. Why?
7) Does the field senor have a positive or negative charge.
8) Turn on the Tape measure.
9) As you sample the electric field further and further from a charged object, you find that the field strength
weakens. Do you think the E field vs. distance relation is an inverse relation, an inverse square, or some other
power relation? Use the Electric field sensor and tape measure to collect data sets in order to answer this
question. Include the Excel graph that you made in order to see if you hypothesis was correct. Were you
correct?
Part 2 What is the relationship between the electric potential at a point in space and the
distance from an electric charge?
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Place a positive 1 nano-coulomb charge on the screen.

Turn on Show numbers
Turn on tape measure.
Use the tape measure to find and record the distance from the charge to the equipotential sensor.
Record the voltage as indicated on the equipotential sensor.
Change the location of the positive charge to at least six widely different distances from the
equipotential sensor. Record the voltage reading and distance at each location.
Position x
Potential V
(m)
(V)
1.68
5.4
1.47
6.3
1.27
7.1
1.07
8.6
0.93
9.6
0.71
12.5
7) Use Excel to plot these data sets.
8) What is the mathematical relation between these variables?

The graph can be represented as f(x)=1/x. Hence, the relation between the electric potential and distance is
inversely proportional to each other.
Part 3 What are the characteristics of the electric field sensors?

1) Place a positive 1 nano-coulomb charge at the center of the screen.
2) Click on Show Numbers.
3) Bring out an electric field senor.
4) What are electric field units?
The electric field unit is V/m.
5) Is the electric field a scalar or a vector?
It is basically a vector quantity since the electric field has both magnitude and direction.
6) To do its job, the electric field senor should have a charge. Why?
As it is a known fact that when the sensor doesn't have any charge than its division by zero may cause
infinity at every point and thus, the sensor would not be able to measure the electric field.
7) Does the field senor have a positive or negative charge?
There should be a positive charge in order to show the true direction. Negative charge tends to point in the
direction opposite to the electric field.
8) Turn on the Tape measure.
9) As you sample the electric field further and further from a charged object, you find that the field strength
weakens. Do you think the E field vs. distance relation is an inverse relation, an inverse square, or some other
power relation? Use the Electric field sensor and tape measure to collect data sets in order to answer this
question. Include the Excel graph that you made in order to see if you hypothesis was correct. Were you
correct?
Position x
Electric field
(m)
V/c
1.07
7.7
1.02
8.1
1.3
5.2
1.12
7.4
0.93
10.3
0.71
16.9
The graph represents that the electric field and the square of the distance are inversly proportional to each
other.

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Name: Abdulaziz Alabdali

Voltage Recorded in simulation = 5.6 V

New electric potential measured=13.5V

Place a positive 1 nano-coulomb charge on the screen.

Part 3 What are the characteristics of the electric field sensors?

Place a positive 1 nano-coulomb charge on the screen.

7) Use Excel to plot these data sets.

8) What is the mathematical relation between these variables?

Part 3 What are the characteristics of the electric field sensors?

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