Physics 272 – Lab 05

Mapping Dipole Equipotential Lines

Learning Goals
After completing this activity, you should be able to:
• Identify the equipotential lines of a dipole using a sharpie marker.
• Measure the voltage of different equipotentials of a dipole using an iOLab
voltage probe.
• ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD: Learn to communicate your ideas with your team
members through the discussion board, share data, and your analysis of the
data, including rationale for any predictions you may make.

Equipment Needed
iOLab kit, Styrofoam dinner plate, two copper pennies, half a cup of water with a pinch
of salt dissolved in it, three wires with clips at one end, and a sharpie marker.

Experiment Set Up
Set the experimental montage shown in the figure below. Look that the two pennies
(electrodes) are symmetrically ubicated on the extremes of the diameter line of the
plate.

Setting the iOLab Application

To be able to measure differences of potential using an iOLab voltage probe, you need
to set an output configuration clicking on the setting tool in the top bar, and next

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clicking on the ‘Expert Mode’ and finally choosing the ‘Output configuration.’ The figure
below shows that process, and the following figure shows what you will see in the
column of sensors in the iOLab application after selecting the ‘Output configuration.’

Turn on the ‘DAC output’ in iOLab application and set it to the maximum value of 3.3 V.
Select the A7 sensor in the column of sensors, and you will be ready to measure
differences of potential using the iOLab kit.
PASTE HERE a picture of your experimental setting
Pick a point somewhere along the outer edge of the water in the Styrofoam plate. Make
a dent in the plate using the tip of the “voltage probe.” Move the probe about 1 cm,
adjust its location to keep the voltage reading the same as the starting point, and make
another dent in the plate. Repeat this process until you get back to the edge of the
plate.
Q1: What was the value for the voltage of the equipotential line you measured above?
After picking a point and getting a first voltage value, do you think it is possible to
predict where to move the probe such that you can get the same voltage value again?
Discuss with your team your rationale for your answer.
Ans1. On measuring the voltage for the equipotential line (line equidistant from both
pennies) it turned out to be about ~0.185 V. Yes, it is possible to predict the points at

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which we’ll obtain the same value, that is at the equipotential line as all the point on it
are equally distanced from both the pennies

Take a screenshot of the iOLab ‘Analog 7’ graph showing the value for the voltage
registered for the equipotential above.
Pick more stating points along the edge of the plate, approximately equally spaced, and
repeat the process until you have mapped out at least four more equipotentials.
Register the voltage read in the iOLab graph for each equipotential line you make. In
the end, after removing the water and drying the plate, you will be able to see the
different paths of the equipotentials on the plate (the lines of dents made with the tip of
the voltage probe). The figure below shows an example of several equipotentials
marked in a plate.

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Q2: Connect with a sharpie marker all the dents of each equipotential you got, and
label them beside with the respective value of voltage registered through the iOLab
graphs.
Take a photograph of your plate with the different equipotentials highlighted with the
sharpie and the respective values of voltage measured with the iOLab voltage probe.

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Mark also the position were the pennies were ubicated into the plate. Paste that
photo here.

Repeat the experiment of measuring the equipotentials on a plate, but now change the
position of the pennies, such that they are not on the diameter line of the plate.
Measure at least five equipotential lines and mark them with the sharpie. Mark also the
position of the pennies in the plate, and the values of the voltage of each equipotential
you got.
Q3: Describe the differences in the shapes of the equipotential lines between the two
experiments performed in this lab.
Ans3. After moving the pennies, the direction in which the potential changed also
changed. At first when the pennies were place diametrically on the plate the potential
changed on the axis parallel to the pennies and remained constant on the perpendicular
axis whereas after placing the pennies at different position changed the axis.

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Paste here a photograph of your plate. In the photo, the equipotential lines must be
highlighted with a sharpie marker. The position of the pennies must be marked to the
plate. The values of the voltage of each equipotential line must be entered beside
each line.
Q4. Share the picture above with your team members and discuss about the different
sets of equipotential lines all of you have measured using the new symmetries. Look
at the voltages values of each line and discuss if those values makes sense, support
your answers with arguments.
For the new setup of pennies, the axis changes and the potential changes as the probe is
taken closer to the pennies (to the top) and reaches the maxima in the middle most line
and decreased on the lines on the outer edge

PASTE HERE the thread of the discussion board with all your participation highlighted.
AFTER YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR LAB, SAVE YOUR WORD FILE AS PDF
AND UPLOAD IT USING THE LINK OF BRIGHTSPACE.
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