Jalen Thompson

Electric Fields and Equipotential Lines

Apparatus
Conducting sheets with electrodes (the first consisting of two parallel plates and the second
consisting of two circular electrodes), a voltmeter, a DC power supply sheets of graph paper

Introduction
An electric field can be defined similarly to a gravitational field. An electric field E at a
point in space is defined as the electric force acting on a test charge q0 placed at said point. The
electric field at this point is defined as the electric force acting on a positive test charge placed at
the point divided by the magnitude of the test charge. This is demonstrated by the equation
𝐸→ = 𝐹→/𝑞 0. E is the electric field external to the test charge and is not produced by the test
charge. Thus, the force on a positive charge due to an electric field is in the direction of the
electric field, while the force on a negative charge placed in the same field is opposite the electric
field.
Results

Error Analysis
 The only error I could see would be the volt reading by the machine, or if us using the
conductive sheet with electrode and not touching the dot exactly in the middle, we would have
been a little bit off.
Discussions and Conclusions
In this experiment the concepts of electric fields and equipotential lines were presented.
They presented different ideas shown through the works of a charge. Our charge sheets had a
negative and positive charge. One sheet had the charges almost like two walls. The other sheet
had just a pole to a pole. In this experiment two relationships were shown. First, a linear
relationship in charge was presented. Also, the farther away from the negative charge a spot was,
the more Volts were present. This means that the charge was stronger near the positive charge
and weaker near the negative. The sheet with just the poles showed a spherical shape as to where
the sheet with the beams back and forth made a straight line.
Questions
Part 1:
1. The electric fields cannot cross because the electric vectors would then have two
directions on them. No, they also cannot cross because they are given a specific set value.
2. Because there is no potential gradient parallel to the equal potential surface.
3. The direction a charge can be displaced without any external work being done would be
the perpendicular direction. In this case it would be perpendicular to the y axis, which
would make to perpendicular to anything parallel to the y axis as well.
Part 2:

1.
2. Slope: (1.27V-0.52V)/(0.02m-0.01m)=75 V/m