ELECTRIC POTENTIAL LAB

Background
This lab uses a Phet Simulation, created by the University of Colorado Boulder. The simulations allow
you to experiment with different phenomena as if you were in a lab, but virtually. You can manipulate,
measure and determine relations between variable as in a lab, take data and analyze it.

Phet site: http://phet.colorado.edu/simulations/sims.php?sim=Charges_and_Fields

This virtual lab activity lets you investigate theories of Electric Field and Electric Potential. You may
have learned about these ideas in class already, but this lab lets you investigate what factors contribute to
changes in each, and to possibly verify any information you may have learned about them already. You
should record all data on a lab sheet, and answer all questions there. You must turn your lab sheet
in to receive a grade. When you are done you will create a formal, typed lab report.

Purpose
The purpose of this lab is to investigate how point charges affect space around them due to the creation of
an electric field, and investigate the electric potential distribution due to this field around the point charge,
mainly how it is affected by the size of the charge and the distance away from the center of the charge.

PRELAB
Please answer preliminary questions without looking up answers. These will be your hypotheses (you
should make if then because statements).

1. What do you think the electric potential due to a point charge depends on?
2. How would changing the charge to a (-) charge affect the potential?
3. How do you think increasing the size of the point charge would affect the potential at a certain
distance away from the center of the charge?
4. How do you think the magnitude of the electric potential would change if you double the
distance from the center of the point charge? What if you triple the distance?

Prelab Procedure
How do a positive and a negative charge compare?
(answer all questions on your lab sheet as you go along- questions have a mailbox bullet point)
1) Go to the Phet simulation Charges and Fields, linked above.
2) Click on “Show Numbers."
3) Place a positive 1 nano-coulomb charge near the center of the screen.
4) Move the voltage probe box (shown to the right) to different locations near the charge.
 1. How does the voltage number change?
 2. How does the color in the circle with the cross-hairs change?
5) Replace the positive point charge with a negative point charge. To remove charges,
drag them back into their box.
6) Move the voltage probe box to different locations near the charge.
 3. How does the voltage number and color change?
 4. How does it compare to the positive charge?
 LAB
Voltage is another word for electric potential. Electric potential is a characteristic of the distribution of
source charge, the [+/-] nC charge in the examples in the prelab. The electric potential expresses the work
a source charge distribution does on a point charge as the point charge’s position changes. The electric
field expresses the force a source distribution exerts on a point charge and work done is proportional to
the force exerted. Thus, electric potential is related to electric field.

Part A Procedure
What is an equipotential line, and how do work and energy fit in?
(answer all questions on your lab sheet as you go along- questions have a mailbox bullet point)
1) Go to the Phet simulation Charges and Fields, linked above.
2) Click on “Show Numbers."
3) Place a positive 1 nano-coulomb charge near the center of the screen.
4) 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”.
 1. This line is much like a line on a geologic topographical map. Explain the
similarity. (http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/teachers-packets/mapshow/activity4.html)
 2. You are on the side of a hill with a topographical map of the region. If
you walked so that your trip follows a topographical line, you would not be doing work on
your backpack. Why?
 3. If a second charge were placed on this line (don’t do it), how much work
would be needed to move it along the line?
5) Move the meter closer to the charge at the center of the screen.
6) Turn on plot again
7) Remember that electric potential is energy per charge (1 volt = 1 Joule/Coulomb).
 4. Is electric potential a vector or a scalar?
 5. 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.
 6. If the second positive charge were moved away from the first Positive
charge, would this involve positive or negative work.
8) When energy was studied earlier this year, a connection was found between kinetic energy, potential
energy, positive work, and negative work.
 7. What is the connection? Does that apply here?

Part B Procedure
What is the relationship between the electric potential and the distance from an electric charge?
(answer all questions on your lab sheet as you go along- questions have a mailbox bullet point)
1) [Clear All] the Simulation.
2) Place a [+] positive 1 nano-coulomb charge on the screen.
3) Turn on “Show numbers”
4) Turn on “tape measure”
5) You can use the meter and the tape measure to investigate how the potential difference (voltage) varies
as the distance from the point charge changes. Devise an experimental procedure to test this. You should
use at least 6 points, and measure the voltage and distance from the point charge at each point. When you
have your data, you should be able to use Excel, Google Spreadsheets (or similar program) to graph your
data and use the curve fitting features with equations to try to determine any relationships between the
potential and the distance.
6) Conduct your experiment and record all your steps and results on your lab sheet.
7) Determine a mathematical relationship between potential and distance from charge.
 1. Is your relationship close to any simple relationship (e.g., linear, exponential, etc)? If so,
what simple relationship and do you have any theoretical support (e.g., from the textbook)?


Data
Include all data taken as if it were taken from a real lab in data tables on your lab sheet, as well as in your
lab report. This includes data taken and any data created from your original data. You must turn in your
lab sheet with your lab report in order to get a grade.

Analysis
Use the data to determine following:
1) Answer all questions posed during the lab (see questions above).
2) Create scatter plots with curve fits, including any trend line equations describing relationships between
sets of data.
3) Reduce any of your curve fits to simple relationships if applicable.

Conclusion
For the conclusion, write a paragraph about what you discovered from your data and what this lab taught
you. Make sure to compare your results to your hypotheses and address any possible sources of error.

Formal Lab Report

The write up for this lab must be typed (double-spaced) and will consist of everything a general lab report
has. You should have a:
-Title page (10 points for professionalism)
-Table of contents
-Introduction/ Objectives (5 points)
-Prelab/ Hypotheses (10 points)
-Procedures (5 points)
-Data (20 points)
-Analysis (40 points)
-Conclusion (10 points)

Tips and Hints

Even though this is an online virtual lab, treat it as a real in class lab in terms of data collection and
analysis.