P31220 lab

Electric Fields and Potentials

Purpose of the lab: The students will learn to map electric fields and potentials and to identify the fields for the dipole, parallel plate, and concentric cylinder (or sphere). Introduction: You probably ha e some e!perience wal"in# up hills and down hills. $t%s harder to run uphill because #oin# uphill re&uires you to increase your #ra itational potential ener#y. 'oin# downhill is easier because the released #ra itational potential ener#y assists you. $f we consider the potential ener#y of a standard mass (say, a 1 "# ball), each point on the hill would be associated with a particular amount of #ra itational potential ener#y. (e could find sets of points on the hill where the ball has the same potential ener#y as it has at the other points in the set. $f we connect these points, we%ll #et an )e&uipotential line.* There are many e&uipotential lines, each representin# a different potential ener#y. $f we wal"ed on the hill, followin# one of these e&uipotential lines, our potential ener#y would always remain the same. (e would be wal"in# neither uphill or downhill, but around the hill. $f wal"in# on an e&uipotential is wal"in# around the hill, followin# a field line, or )line of force,* is li"e wal"in# uphill or downhill. +ield lines point in the direction that ma!imi,es ener#y chan#e. - ball naturally rolls downhill in the same direction as the #ra itational field. $n #eneral, field lines and e&uipotentials describe the space surroundin# a mass or a char#e or a ma#netic pole. .oulomb%s /aw describes the force between two electric char#es, 0ust as 1ewton%s /aw of 'ra ity describes the #ra itational force between two masses. 2oth e&uations are ector e&uations and both ha e the same form. Thus, your e!periences of the force and ener#y chan#es when wal"in# up and down hills is ery similar to what happens when a small electric char#e is mo in# in the )electric field* produced by lar#er char#es. The #reat physicist 3ichael +araday isuali,ed electric fields and potentials o er 100 years a#o. 3any early boo"s on electrical en#ineerin# are full of tal" about the 4density of lines.* +ield lines and e&uipotentials are a useful way to thin" about what electric force will be e!erted on a char#ed particle that is in the icinity of other char#es. .losely spaced field lines are associated with lar#e forces. .losely spaced e&uipotential lines are associated with rapid ener#y chan#es. You "now that two ma#nets will 0ump to#ether if they are brou#ht near each other. 5ach ma#net has a force e!erted on it. The force on one ma#net comes from the field surroundin# the other ma#net. $n this lab, you will map some e&uipotential lines and use them to construct electric field maps for three confi#urations of char#es6 the dipole, the parallel plates, and the concentric cylinder. dipole consists of one positi e char#e and one ne#ati e char#e. The dipole pattern may be familiar to you, from your e!periences with ma#nets. Parallel plates are used to create uniform electric fields, and to form a capacitor. .apacitors store char#e and ener#y. The )coa!ial* cable that brin#s your cable T7 si#nals to you is a concentric cylinder. +ields and e&uipotentials are related to each other in specific ways. The rules for constructin# field lines are on the ne!t pa#e.

P31220 lab

The rules for field and equipotential lines: +ield lines start and end on conductors. +ield lines ne er cross other field lines. .onductors are e&uipotential surfaces. 5&uipotential lines surround conductors. 5&uipotential lines ne er cross other e&uipotential lines. +ield lines intersect e&uipotential lines and conductin# surfaces at ri#ht an#les.

Experiment 1: Virtual Lab (N

! "E T#$N 1% !IN&TE'()

Please use most of your lab time for working with your apparatus! These activities are fun, but you can play with them as much as you like outside of class. Please #o to http688www.cco.caltech.edu89phys180a a8phys185+ield85+ield.html .lic" in the blac" area to #et started. You can ad0ust the stren#th and si#n of the electric char#es with the slide control. -lternati ely, try http688www.falstad.com8emstatic8 You can choose char#e confi#urations, and whether to display electric field arrows or lines. 5!amine the electric field lines and e&uipotentials from a sin#le electric char#e. The field lines should radiate away from the char#e, and the e&uipotentials should be concentric circles. 1otice that the electric fields and e&uipotentials are perpendicular. -dd a second char#e. 1otice that their fields add to#ether. $f the two char#es are far apart, you can see that the sin#le:char#e pattern is still there in the area close to each indi idual char#e. ;et up the followin# char#e confi#uration. ;"etch the field lines. <sin# a different color, s"etch the e&uipotential lines. The middle dot has a char#e of =>, and the end char#es are :2. 1otice how the field and e&uipotential lines obey the rules stated abo e. Turn in this pa#e with your data sheets.

*hat to do and +hat to notice:

P31220 lab

P31220 lab

Experiment ,: !ap electric fields and equipotentials for three electrode confi-urations
Your apparatus consists of a special sheet of electrically conductin# paper. - pair of conductin# electrodes has been painted on this sheet, usin# sil er (real -#) paint. You%ll attach a wire to each of the electrodes so that one of them is char#ed to some positi e olta#e, and the other is at #round (0 7olts). This sets up an electric field in the paper, which you will measure with a di#ital multimeter (?33).

.!! Power ;upply

+i#. 16 -pparatus setup, showin# how to connect the power supply and ?33 to the conductin# sheet.

$pparatus 'etup:
1. Ta"e the conductin# sheet with two point electrodes (two dots) and attach it to the cor" board usin# plastic push pins in the corners. 2. <se metal push pins to attach a wire from the power supply to each of the two electrodes. You need a #ood solid contact between the sil er electrode and the wires. 3a"e sure that your connections are firm. ?on%t use old holes in the electrodes. 3a"e new holes. 3. The ?33 (?i#ital 3ultimeter) should be set to measure ?.7 (?. 7olts, or ?irect .urrent 7olts). The test probes should be attached to the two ri#ht:most plu#s in the ?33. @ne of these is labeled ).@3*, and the other is labeled )7Am-* or somethin# similar. >. -ttach the ?33 ).@3* plu# to one of the electrodes on your board. /et the other probe han# free for now. B. Plu# in the power supply and turn on the ?33. Touch the free probe to the other electrode. You should read 07 if you touch both ?33 wires to the same electrode, and appro!imately =127 or :127 if you touch them to different electrodes. >

P31220 lab

+i#. 26 The three electrode confi#urations. +rom left to ri#ht, they are the dipole, the parallel plates, and the cylindrical conductor. Pa/ particular attention to the -ra/ areas when you%re mappin# the e&uipotentials.

Ta0in- measurements:
1. Touch the free ?33 probe to arious points on the paper. You should #et different olta#e readin#s at different spots on the paper. Touch the probe firmly to the paper. $f the probe is pointed, use the flat side of the probe, not the sharp point. ?on%t stab the paper with the probe. 2. 1ote that the conductin# paper has a coordinate #rid on it. ?raw the electrodes on a piece of ordinary #raph paper, payin# attention to their coordinates. /abel the electrodes with their olta#es. You will find it useful to use a coordinate system that has its ori#in at the center of the paper. 3. 1ow, select a con enient intermediate olta#e (37 for e!ample) between 07 and 127. ($f your olta#es are ne#ati e, either switch the ?33 leads or i#nore the minus si#n.) +ind a number of points with this olta#e, and mar" their locations on your #raph paper. ).onnect the dots* to create an e&uipotential line for 37, and mar" it )37*. >. Cepeat this procedure for se eral different olta#es. You will need at least half a do,en e&uipotential lines so that you can use them to construct the electric field pattern. Pay attention to the parts of the pattern hi#hli#hted in #ray in +i#. 2. B. ?o 1@T ta"e apart the apparatus until you ha e done your analysis for the patternD

$nal/sis:
-t this point, your #raph paper should ha e se eral e&uipotential lines on it. .onstruct the field lines as follows6 1. ;tart at one of the conductors. 2. +ield lines always enter and lea e conductors at ri#ht an#les. ?raw a ery short line comin# out of a conductor at ri#ht an#les to its surface. <se a different color than you used for the e&uipotentials. B

P31220 lab 3. +ield lines always intersect e&uipotentials at ri#ht an#les. 5!tend the line that you started, bendin# it #ently so that it crosses the nearest e&uipotential line at ri#ht an#les. >. .ontinue drawin# the field line, always crossin# the nearest e&uipotential line at ri#ht an#les. B. $f you need more e&uipotential lines, or need to chec" the ones you ha e, please do so. Your apparatus is still set up. Please repeat the procedure and analysis for the other two patterns of electrodes. $f time permits, you may chec" your patterns by usin# the Ea a applets. You can simulate the electrodes by arran#in# se eral identical char#es in rows or circles.

1lean2&p 1hec0list:
Please turn off the ?33. ?isconnect the wires. Cemo e the electrode sheet from the board. Put the push pins bac" in the board. Ceturn borrowed red pens. Please tidy up your table. Thank you!

3ust for Fun (outside of class):

5lectric fields in )real life* are 3:?, not 2:?. There are some e!cellent interacti e animated Ea a applets at http688www.falstad.com8 ector2de8 and http688www.falstad.com8 ector3de8 , and lin"s to more at http688www.falstad.com8mathphysics.html . $n these simulations, you can see how small char#ed )test particles* mo e in the electric fields. $f you%re in the mood for a #ame, try the Ph5T Pro0ect%s 5lectric +ield Foc"ey. $t%s a lot of funD /e el 3 isn%t easy. http688phet.colorado.edu8en8simulation8electric:hoc"ey

P31220 lab

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.ata 'heets:
Please turn in your three drawin#s of the field lines and e&uipotentials, as well as the s"etch on pa#e 2 and the -nalysis Iuestions. 1o data tables or error analysis are re&uired.

P31220 lab

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P31220 lab

1ame6 HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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P31220 lab

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$nal/sis 4uestions:
1. Fow well did your actual measured maps match those from your te!tboo" or the online appletsM Please #i e this some thou#ht.

2. (hich of the three electrode confi#urations would you choose if you wanted to create a uniform electric fieldM

3. The concentric circle electrodes can be thou#ht of as the cross section of a coa!ial cable. .oa!ial cables ha e an inner conductor and an outer conductin# shield, separated by an electrically insulatin# layer. .oa!ial cables are commonly used to brin# cable T7 into your house. .an you thin" of a reason why coa! cable is used for this purpose instead of plain wireM

>. (hat did you disco er about the area inside the center of the concentric circle patternM

B. (hat did you disco er from playin# with the online appletsM Please #i e this some thou#ht.

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