Electric Field around a Conductor

Introduction
The purpose of this activity is to determine the shape and magnitude of the electric field and
equipotential lines around point charge configurations and, and parallel plate configurations on a piece
of conductive paper.

Background
An electric field is the effect produced by the existence of an electric charge, such as an electron
(negative charge), proton (positive charge), or ion (charged atom) in the volume of space or medium
that surrounds it. Another charge placed in the volume of space surrounding the “source” charge has a
force exerted on it. The electric force applied by two charges, q 1, and q2, on each other can be obtained
from Coulomb’s Law:
|q1||q 2| 1 9 Nm
2
−12 C
2
F e =k , Wherek = =8.99 x 10 , and ε o =8.85 x 10
r
2
4 π ϵo C2 N m2
Where k is Coulomb’s Constant, εo is the Permittivity Constant, and r is the separation distance between
the two charges.

The force of attraction or repulsion between point charges at rest act along the lines joining the two
charges. If there are more than 2 charges, the equation above holds for each pair of charges and the net
force can be found on each charge by using the superposition principle of vector addition as the vector
sum of the forces exerted on the charge by all of the other charges.

E , at any point is defined by the electrostatic force that would be exerted on a

The electric field, ⃗
F kq
⃗
E=
positive test charge, qo, placed there such that ⃗ = . The SI units for Electric Fields are
qo r 2
Volts/Meter, V/m. Electric Fields are vectors since they have both a magnitude, and a direction. Point
charges generate electric fields that point in the radial directions. Positive charges create electric fields
that radiate radially outwards, while negative charges create electric fields that radiate radially inwards.

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As mentioned earlier, electric field lines help provide a means for visualizing the magnitude and
direction of electric fields. Similarly, equipotential lines show where every point on that line has the
same potential, for example 5V, similar to that of a topographical map showing elevation, as shown
above.

It is important to note that the electric field vector at any point is tangent to a field line through that
point as you can see with the right angle indicators. Likewise, equipotential lines that are closer together
show a strong electric field and as you become further from the charges, the electric field will become
weaker shown by the distance between the field lines becoming greater.

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Setup
1. Go to the following website: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/charges-and-fields
2. You should see the following.

3. Click on Download, and then open when finished downloading.

4. Your screen should now look like this.

5. In the box near the top right of your screen make sure the following are selected.
a. Electric field
b. Values
c. Grid

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 6. Your screen should now look like following.
a. Please note the scale near the bottom right of your screen.

Procedure for two point charges

1. Click and Drag one positive and one negative charge from the box at the bottom center
of your screen and place them on the center horizontal line and 5 meters apart. Use the
scale at the bottom of your screen to figure out how far apart on the grid that is.
2. Using the Voltmeter measure the voltage along the center line at every 0.5 meters
directly between the positive and negative charges. Make sure to click the bottom with
the image of a pencil to mark the Equipotential lines with these values. There should be
9 Equipotential lines.
a. Record the values of the Equipotential lines in Table 1.
b. Let the location of the positive charge be 0.0 m, and the location of the negative
charge be 5.0 m record the locations of the Equipotential lines in Table 1.
c. Take a Screen Shot of this charge configuration with the Equipotential lines
marked, and make sure to turn it in with your lab worksheet.

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Procedure for two line charges
1. Use the erase button on the voltmeter to erase the Equipotential lines.
2. Now Drag and Click more charges from the box at the bottom of your screen to construct two
vertical lines of charges, each line 13 point charges long.
a. using the two points already there as the center point for each line. Do NOT move these
two point charges ensuring your lines to be 5 meters apart.
b. The charges in the line should be close enough that they are just barely touching each
other.
c. One line completely made of positive charges.
d. One line completely made of negative charges.
3. Using the Voltmeter measure and mark the Equipotential lines every 0.5 meters directly along
the center line between the two center charges. There should be 9 of these lines.
a. Record these values in Table 2.
b. Letting the location of the center positive charge be 0.0 meters, and the location of the
center negative charge be 5.0 meters, record the locations of the Equipotential lines in
table 2.
c. Take a Screen Shot of this configuration of charges with the Equipotential lines marked,
and make sure to turn it in with your lab worksheet.

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 Analysis of Electric Field Around a Conductor Lab

Name_______________________________________________
Course/Section_______________________________________
Instructor____________________________________________
Table 1
Two Point Charge Configuration
Vi (V) Xi (m) E (V/m)

Eavg(V/m)

1. Complete the chart by calculating the average magnitude of the electric field between each two
consecutive locations by dividing the absolute value of the difference in the magnitude of the
voltages at each of the two locations by 0.50 m, the displacement between the two locations.
Then find their average value and record it in the last row. (20 points)

2. Calculate the average value of the electric field along the straight line between the two point
charges by dividing the absolute value of the difference between the voltage at the first
equipotential line from the left point charge and the voltage at the first equipotential line from
the right point charge by the displacement between them. Then take the % difference between
your two values for the average electric field between the two point charges. (10 points)

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Table 2
Two Parallel Line Charge Configuration
Vi (V) Xi (m) E (V/m)

Eavg(V/m)

3. Complete the chart by calculating the average magnitude of the electric field between each two
consecutive locations by dividing the absolute value of the difference in the magnitude of the
voltages at each of the two locations by the displacement between the two locations. Then find
their average value and record it in the last row. (20 points)

4. Calculate the average value of the electric field along the straight line between the two point
charges by dividing the absolute value of the difference between the voltage at the first
equipotential line from the left point charge and the voltage at the first equipotential line from
the right point charge by the displacement between them. Then take the % difference between
your two values for the average electric field between the two point charges. (10 points)

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5. A straight electric field line is supposed to represent a constant electric field. Does your data for
both configurations, more or less, agree with this? If not what are some plausible explanations?
(5 points)

6. Why is your data for the parallel line configuration much more consistent than your data for the
two-point charge configuration? (10 points)

7. What is the relationship between the density of the equipotential lines and the intensity of the
arrows that represent the strength of the electric field (Note: The brighter the arrow, the
stronger the electric field)? (10 points)

8. Sometimes the units for an electric field are written as N/C, while other times the units are
written as V/m, using dimensional analysis show that N/C is equal to V/m. (5 points)

9. In the simulator, create another two-point configuration identical to the one you already
created, except both charges being positive and equal in magnitude. Very briefly explain the
differences between this two-point configuration and your original two-point configuration.
Take a screenshot of this configuration and turn it in with the worksheet. (10 points)