Name: Group #:

University of Calgary
Department of Physics and Astronomy
PHYS 223, Winter 2024

Labatorial 3: Equipotential Lines

Overview:
In this labatorial, you will find equipotential
lines experimentally for certain configurations
of conductors (electrodes), check your results
with a simulation, and relate the equipotential
lines to the electric field.

This figure the electric field lines (red) and the

equipotential lines (green) of an electric dipole.

Pre-Lab Reading:

Sections 25.1-25.6, 26.1-26.3 of “Physics for Scientists and Engineers,” R.D. Knight, 4th Ed.

Equipment:

Fluke multimeter, Anatek power supply, field probe, field mapping board, parallel plate field
plate, connecting cables, potential mapping graph paper, tape, ruler, pencils

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 PHYS 223, Labatorial 3, Winter 2024

Field lines and equipotential lines for point charges

+ _

Question 1: Draw the field lines for the two charges shown in the figures above. Explain
briefly how you know what the direction of the field is at a certain point.

Question 2: Draw the equipotential lines in a different colour. Explain briefly how you
know how to draw the equipotential lines for these point charges.

Question 3: Do the equipotential lines have a direction? Explain why, or why not.

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 PHYS 223, Labatorial 3, Winter 2024

Question 4: What is the angle between the field lines and the equipotential lines for these
point charges?

+ + + _

Question 5: Draw the field lines for the two charge configurations shown in the figures
above. Explain briefly how you know what the direction of the field is at a certain point.

Question 6: Draw the equipotential lines in a different colour. Explain briefly how you
know how to draw the equipotential lines for these charge configurations.

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 PHYS 223, Labatorial 3, Winter 2024

Field lines and equipotential lines for charged conduc-

tors

Question 7: What is the angle between the surface of a conductor (in electrostatic equi-
librium) and the electric field lines outside the conductor? What would happen to the field
lines if the conductor was not in electrostatic equilibrium?

Question 8: Draw the electric field lines between the conductors shown as well as a few on
the outside. Draw the equipotential lines using a different colour. Explain briefly why you
drew them the way you did.
--
--
--
--
--
+
+
+
+
+

Question 9: If a positive test charge is released from rest on one of the equipotential lines,
in which direction will it start moving?

B: CHECKPOINT 1: Before moving on to the next part, discuss your

A: results as a group, then have your TA evaluate your answers.

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 PHYS 223, Labatorial 3, Winter 2024

The equipment for the experiment: The potential map-

ping apparatus, the field plates, the power supply, and
the voltmeter.
During the experiment, the field
plate (parallel plate) will be
mounted on the field mapping
board that you see in the figure to
the left (actually, you see the un-
derside, because that’s where the
field plates will be mounted). The
field mapping board serves several
purposes: It holds the field plate
in place while providing a surface1
on which you can draw the equipo-
tential lines you will measure. It
provides the voltage to the two
electrodes on the board, and it
provides seven reference connec-
tors (the seven connectors that are
placed in a row along one side of
the field mapping board) for mea-
suring the potential.

Question 10: Figure 1 on the next page shows how the field mapping board will be connected
to the power supply. Think of the power supply as something similar to a battery: It provides
a voltage, but one that can be set to different values. (Moreover, the current can be restricted
to a maximum value.) We will call the two connectors the positive and negative terminals
from now on. Once those terminals are connected to the power supply, and the power supply
is switched on, what will be the voltage between them?

1
If you have studied circuits before, you will notice that there are resistors between those connectors that
divide the supplied voltage into equal intervals. The seven connectors allow you to access these voltages.

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 PHYS 223, Labatorial 3, Winter 2024

Figure 1. The experimental setup

Question 11: Observe how the field plates are mounted to the field mapping board. Explain
why they are connected this way. Think about which side of the field plates should be in
contact with the field mapping board and why.

Question 12: Once the field plate is connected to the power supply via the terminals of the
field mapping board and the power supply has been switched on, is there an electric field
between the electrodes? Explain.

Question 13: Will all the points on the surface of the field plate be at the same potential,
or at different values? Explain your answer.

Question 14: To find the equipotential lines for the field plate experimentally, we will use a
voltmeter. Does a voltmeter measure an absolute value of potential, or a potential difference?
Explain.

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 PHYS 223, Labatorial 3, Winter 2024

B: CHECKPOINT 2: Before moving on to the next part, discuss your

A: results as a group, then have your TA evaluate your answers.

Connect the two wires from the power supply to the terminals of the field mapping board, as
shown in Figure 1. Turn on the power supply, set the voltage to 10 V, and the current to its
maximum value.

Question 15: Plug two wires into the voltmeter and place the other ends gently on the two
electrodes (it is easiest to have one student hold the mapping board standing on one side).
What is the potential difference across the electrodes?

Question 16: What happens to the potential difference when you move one of the wires to
a place inbetween the electrodes?

Question 17: What would be the reading on the voltmeter if both points were on the same
equipotential line?

Question 18: If you want to measure the voltage between the negative terminal of the field
mapping board and the right-most reference connector, where do you need to plug in the
wires from your voltmeter?

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 PHYS 223, Labatorial 3, Winter 2024

Question 19: Measure the voltage between the negative terminal and each of the reference
connectors. Record those values on the top of each connector in Figure 1.

Finding equipotential lines for the parallel plate field

plate

Ask your TA for a piece of paper with the outline of the conductors as you see them on your
parallel plate board. Tape this piece of paper to the top of your field mapping apparatus.

Since we want to mark the positions where we measure the potential, we will not simply
use the wire from the voltmeter anymore. Instead, we will use the potential mapping probe,
shown in the figure on the left. It allows you to measure the potential at a certain point and
to mark this point on the paper. One arm goes under the field mapping board and makes
contact with the field plate. The other arm goes above the mapping board and has a hole for
a pencil right above the point where you measure the voltage. You will use those marks to
create a map of the electric potential.

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 PHYS 223, Labatorial 3, Winter 2024

Question 20: We want to find equipotential lines for the reference connectors on one side of
the board. One wire from the voltmeter will be plugged into the field mapping probe, and
the probe will be used on the area between and around the conductors. Where do you have
to plug in the other wire?

B: CHECKPOINT 3: Before moving on to the next part, discuss your

A: results as a group, then have your TA evaluate your answers.

Now connect the two wires from the voltmeter to the first reference connector and to the
field probe. Move the probe around on the board until you find a place where the potential
difference is zero. Mark the paper at that point. Then, find more points with potential
difference zero, and mark them. When you have enough points, connect the dots, and you
will have found your first equipotential line. Label this line with its reference voltage (refer
to Figure 1).

Remove the wire that connects the probe to the first equipotential reference connector, and
plug it into the second. Find the equipotential line for this point with the same method as
above. Repeat this procedure for all the equipotential reference connectors.

Question 21: How does the shape of the equipotential lines that you found experimentally
compare to what you previously predicted?

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Studying equipotential lines quantitatively

Question 22: Use the equipotential lines you found for the paralell plates and choose a
place to draw an axis perpendicular to the two plates, as shown in the figure below. It’s best
to choose the region in which the lines are the most parallel. Then, measure the distance
from the origin of the x-axis (negative plate) for each of the equipotential lines crossing the
axis. Enter the values for the distance and for the potential (for each equipotentail line) in
the table below.

x (in meters) electric potential (in Volts)

Question 23: Use Excel to graph the poten-

tial as a function of position x. Sketch this
relationship on the graph provided to the right,
indicating the positions of the negative plate
and the positive plate.

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 PHYS 223, Labatorial 3, Winter 2024

Question 24: Use Excel to fit an equation to your graph. Write down the equation for the
fit and explain what each of the fit parameters physically means.

Question 25: The slope of the function V (x) is its derivative, dV /dx. In one dimension the
electric field is given by E = −dV /dx. What are the magnitude and direction of the electric
field that you obtain from your fit?

Question 26: Does the magnitude of the electric field that you obtained from the fit depend
on x? Explain using what you know about parallel plate capacitors.

B: Last Checkpoint! Before being dismissed from the lab, discuss your
results as a group, then have your TA evaluate your answers. Be sure
A: to sign the grade sheet before you leave.

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