STEM02-PHYS_Virtual Experiment

Electric Potential and Equipotential Lines

Submission Date:

Group number 1

Student name(s), ID(s) and signature(s):

Name ID Signature
Fatima Dhahi Alkaabi 100059124

Dareen J.Mahboobeh 100059463

Nawaf Khalid Mohamed 100058602

Altalay Al-Ali

Wadima Sultan Saeed 100059180

Alnuaimi

Hamda Sultan Alzaabi 100058531

Ahmed Alshehhi 100059038

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Part 1: Introduction:
Many common forces might be
referred to as “contact forces,” such as your
hands pushing or pulling a cart, or a tennis
racket hitting a tennis ball. In contrast, both
the gravitational force and the electrical
force act over a distance: there is a force
between two objects even when the objects
are not touching.
The idea of a force acting at a distance was a
difficult one for early thinkers. Newton
himself felt uneasy with this idea when he
published his law of universal gravitation. A
helpful way to look at the situation uses the
idea of the field, developed by the British
scientist Michael Faraday (1791–1867). In
the electrical case, according to Faraday, an
electric field extends outward from every
charge and permeates all of space.
To visualize the electric field, we draw a
series of lines to indicate the direction of the
electric field at various points in space.
These electric field lines (or lines of force)
are drawn to indicate the direction of the
force due to the given field on a positive test
charge. The lines of force due to a single
isolated positive charge are shown in Figure
1a, and for a single isolated negative charge
in Figure1b.
Figure 1a: Positive charge Figure 1b: Positive charge
The electric field lines between the two
plates start out perpendicular to the surface
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of the metal plates and go directly from one
plate to the other, as we expect because a
positive test charge placed between the
plates would feel a strong repulsion from the
positive plate and a strong attraction to the
negative plate. The field lines between two
close plates are parallel and equally spaced
in the central region, but fringe outward near
the edges. Thus, in the central region, the
electric field has the same magnitude at all
points, Figure 2. The fringing of the field
near the edges can often be ignored,
particularly if the separation of the plates is
small compared to their height and width.
Figure 2: Close plates
We summarize the properties of field
lines as follows:
1. Electric field lines indicate the direction
of the electric field; the field points in the
direction tangent to the field line at any
point.
2. The lines are drawn so that the magnitude
of the electric field, E, is proportional to the
number of lines crossing unit area
perpendicular to the lines. The closer
together the lines, the stronger the field.
3. Electric field lines start on positive
charges and end on negative charges; and
the number starting or ending is proportional
to the magnitude of the charge.
Also note that field lines never cross. Why the electric field to have two directions at
not? Because it would not make sense for the same point.

Part 2: Experimentally drawing electric field lines using equipotential lines

How should we use the electric potential points and equipotential lines to
draw electric field lines?
1 - You will generate electric fields by placing charges in a simulation: Charges
and Fields

2 – You will Measure the distribution of the electric potential in a field using the
probe.

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3 -Identify and draw the lines of equal potential (equipotential lines). [Useful Hint:
Draw them using the probe and copy paste the drawings into this document when
needed.]

Example:

4 - Draw and discuss the electric field pattern. To do so you can use the electric
field probe (yellow dot) or visualizing the entire electric field enabling electric
field (top right)
Example 1: (using electric field probe)

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Example 2: using the field option

5 – Discuss the distribution of equipotential lines within an electric field and their
relationship to each other.

Part 3: Theory

Electric field ⃗E is a vector quantity. It is defined as the force per unit charge that
would act upon a unit positive test charge at a specific location. The direction of
the electric field is the corresponding line of force, as indicated by the tangent line
drawn at that location along an electric field line. By convention, the direction of ⃗E
is the direction of the force on the positive test charge.
The difference in potential energy, PEb – PEa , is equal to the negative of the work,
Wba , done by the electric field to move the charge from a to b; so the potential
difference is

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Another way of defining electric potential difference is to define it as the potential
energy difference per unit charge, then the change in potential energy of a charge q
when it moves from point a to point b is:

Part 4: Exploring Electric Potential

Material: Electric potential interactive simulation (available at http://phet.colorado.edu)

and graph papers.
Objective: To explore electric potential, equipotential lines and to determine the
electric potential of specific symmetrical shapes.

Activity: For a point charge, we will use a simulation to trace a set of equipotential
lines (drawn by the software from sets of points at fixed values of electrical
potential). These lines allow us to calculate the amount of work needed to move a
charge from one location to another. The purpose of today’s activity is to make you
familiar with the shape and appearance of these equipotential lines and their
relationship to the electric field.

Task 1: Click on the link below to launch the simulation.

Charges and Fields

Task 2: After you have launch the simulation, and the application has started,
click “Clear All”. Each time you want a charge, select it from the box and drag it
where you want to place it. The same applies to the E–field sensor and potential
sensor. Also, it will help to click on the “Grid” option.

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Task 3: Add positive and negative charges as shown in the diagram below. Draw
appropriate electric field lines around and in between the three charges.

#1

1. Where is the electric field the largest? (label the point #1 in your diagram)

#2

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 2. Where is the electric field equal to zero? (label the point #2 in your diagram)

3. Describe what would happen to an electron placed at location #2.

Placing an electron at location #2 will result in attracting the positive charges in

addition creating another electric dipole. Other than that, the value of the Electric

field will be a positive value which is greater than 0.

4. Where is the electric potential equal to zero? (label the point #3 in your

diagram)

5. Describe what would happen to an electron placed at location #3.

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#3
 The potential is not 0 anymore but rather a negative value and with like

( negative ) charges there will be a repulsive force.

6. Using the probe visualize the equipotential line. Move the potential sensor
around the test area by intervals of 0.50 m and note the color change of the
potential sensor. Where is the color darkest? Where is the color lightest?
Hint: Paste a copy of your equipotential line distribution using the snipping tool or
similar application.

As the sensor is near the charge that is

where the color is the darkest, yet if it is

far away then the color is the lightest. It

all goes down to the distance because of

the relationship it has with the potential

(inversely proportional)

Task 4: Place one of the positive +1 nC charges in the center of the test area.
Check the boxes for both the Show E-field and the direction only. Move the
potential sensor around the test area by intervals 10 Volts this time.

1 . How is the sensor color related to the voltage measured in the field?

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Generally, the brighter the color, the larger the magnitude of the voltage a charge
has. Being fully aware that the color red represents the positive voltages , and blue
for the negative voltages,and as for the black color it represents 0 V.
2 . Where is the voltage the highest?
The voltage is the highest when it is near the test charge
3 . Where is the voltage lowest?
The voltage is the lowest when it is far away from the test charge

4. Use the potential sensor tool to plot equipotential lines at 0.50 m intervals from
the charge. Draw an appropriate table and include at least 5 data value pairs
(distance and voltage).

A single positive +1 nC charge

r (m) Electric Potential
(V)
0.1 54.83
0.2 32.83
0.3 25.09
0.4 19.93
0.5 15.82

5. How does the voltage due to a point charge vary with distance from the charge?
(proportional or inversly proportional)
The relationship is inversely proportional . As stated if the distance increase the
voltage decrease.

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6. Visualize the distribution of equipotential lines and the electric field. How is the
electric field oriented relative to the equipotential lines?

Electric field lines crosses equipotential lines perpendicularly (90 degrees ) For
this reason , particles moving along the equipotential line will require no work
which is particularly the whole idea of equipotential.

Task 5: Clear All in the simulation. Add a positive and negative charge as shown
in the diagram below. Plot equipotential lines in 10 V increments.
Note: For this exercise the potential do not need to be precise; the patterns will
still be evident if you are within +/- 0.5 V

Are the equipotential lines evenly spaced (this would suggest a linear relationship)
or exponential?
 Yes, the equipotential lines are evenly spaced and will show as a
linear relationship.
Because, throughout each
equipotential surface; the
potential remains constant
(equal) on all points throughout.
This applies too as we increase
the potential by 10 volts.
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Regardless whether the test charge is negative or positive the spacing for
equipotential line is equal to one another as shown in the image.

Task 6: Create a simulation of two parallel charged plates, similar to the one
shown below.

1. Draw the electric field lines in between the two plates (use dotted lines). What
do you notice about the field lines in the central region between the plates?

The electric field lines originate from the positive plate and terminates on
negative plate. The field lines are uniform in the central region

+ + + + +

- - - - Page
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2. Draw the equipotential lines for potentials in 10 V increments, from -70 V to
plus 70 V. (Use solid lines). What do you notice about the lines of equipotential
compared to the electric field line?

The equipotential lines are equispaced and have a difference of 10V. These lines
are perpendicular to the electric field.

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