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Electric Potential Lab

This document provides instructions for a simulation activity involving electric fields and electric potential. Students are asked to add charges to a simulation and draw electric field lines between them. They then plot equipotential lines and analyze how charged particles would move based on their potential and location. Questions involve identifying the strongest electric fields, points of zero field, and the motions of electrons and protons placed in different locations.

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katelyn ibarra
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1K views8 pages

Electric Potential Lab

This document provides instructions for a simulation activity involving electric fields and electric potential. Students are asked to add charges to a simulation and draw electric field lines between them. They then plot equipotential lines and analyze how charged particles would move based on their potential and location. Questions involve identifying the strongest electric fields, points of zero field, and the motions of electrons and protons placed in different locations.

Uploaded by

katelyn ibarra
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name:____________________________________ Block: _______

Computer Simulation: Field & Potential


In this activity you will use the Simulation: Charges
and Fields to develop your understanding of the
relationship between electric fields and electric
potential.

Part I: Electric Field (CORE)


Open the PHET simulation “Charges and Fields”. Add positive and
negative charges as shown in the diagram below. Draw appropriate electric
field lines around and in between the three charges.

#1 #2 #3

1. Where is the electric field the largest? (label the point #1 in your diagram)
- Around the two joint positive charges.

2. Where is the electric field equal to zero? (label the point #2 in your diagram)
- Between two positive charges and right inside of the negative charge.

3. Describe what would happen to an electron placed at location #2.


- Electrons will remain at that location as there will be no field which results
in zero force.
4. What would happen to an electron placed in the location shown below?
Explain…
- When an electron is placed between the positive and negative charge it will
experience the force from both charges, repulsion from negative charge and
attraction from positive charge as a result, the electron will move towards
positive charge.

5. What would happen to an electron placed in the location shown below?


Explain…
- If a proton is placed at that cation instead of electron, then the force will be
reversed and proton will starts towards negative charge.

Part II: Electric Potential (CORE)


1. Clear All in the simulation. Add a positive and negative charge as shown in the
diagram below. Plot equipotential lines in 10 V increments.
Note: For this exercise the potential do not need to be precise; the patterns will
still be evident if you are within +/- 0.5 V
Are the equipotential lines evenly spaced (this would suggest a linear relationship)
or exponential?
- They will be equally spaced.
2. Create a simulation of two parallel charged plates, similar to the one shown
below.

a) Draw the electric field lines in between the two plates (use dotted lines). What
do you notice about the field lines in the central region between the plates?
- Electric fields in between the plates are directed from positive to negative
charge.

b) Draw the equipotential lines for potentials in 10 V increments, from -70 V to


plus 70 V. (use solid lines). What do you notice about the lines of
equipotential compared to lines of equipotential?
- Equipotential lines are perpendicular to the electric field lines.

c) Two positively charged particles A and B, are placed in between the plates as
shown in the above diagram. Particle B has three times the charge and five
times the mass of particle A. Compare the motions (path and acceleration) of
the two charges.
- Since both A and B are positively charged, they both will move from
positive plate to negative plate. This path will be straight, the B particle may
deviate more from its path as it is heavier than charged particle A. But the
acceleration particle B will be more in comparison with charged particle A.

d) Calculate the final velocity of each particle when they reach the negative plate,
assuming they both started from rest. (Note that each group may have a
slightly different solution depending where the equipotential lines were drawn).

V = 70

Part III: Electric Potential (MASTERY)


1. Use the simulation to create the pattern of equipotential lines shown below.
a) Indicate the polarity and the number of charges in each location.
- Polarity of both the charges is positive. There are two charges.
b) Draw the electric field on the two 50 V equipotential lines. (Focus on the
direction and the relative number of field lines)
-
c) Describe what the electric field lines represent.
- Electric field represents the electric force per unit charge. The direction of
the field is taken to be the direction of the force it would exert on a positive
test charge. The electric field is radially outward in case of a positive charge
and radially in case of a negative point charge.
-
d) Label a location in the diagram where an electron (e) would have the
maximum potential energy. Repeat the process for a proton (p).
-
e) Predict the path that a proton would travel if released from the dot at
location X; use a dotted line and draw the path of the proton in the diagram.
-
f) Calculate the maximum velocity and kinetic energy of the proton assuming
it started from rest; express its final energy in electron-volts (eV)
- 4.21 x 106 m/s = vmax

g) Explain why you would not be able to calculate the final velocity of the
electron (given the information provided in the problem).
- The final speed of the electron is enty determined by its charge, its initial
velocity and the potential difference through which it is accelerated.By
Heisenberg uncertainty principle which imposes a restriction on the accuracy
of simultaneous measurement of position and momentum. Therefore it will
not be possible to accurately determine both the velocity and position at the
same time.

Part III: Electric Potential (SCHOLARSHIP)


1. Given the charge diagram shown below, draw the shape of an equipotential
line of
0 V without the simulation!
Now verify your solution using the simulation…

2. Choose a location anywhere along the 0 V equipotential line where a released


charged particle would follow a curved path – label that location in the
diagram. Use dotted lines to sketch the path an electron (e) and proton (p)
would follow if it were to be released at that point.
- 0V equipotential surface passes through the line joining opposite charges. The test
charges electrons (e) or proton ( p) follow the electric field lines. Protons follow the
field line direction whereas electrons move in the opposite direction. Therefore in the
diagram, the test charges are placed such that they follow a curved electric field line.

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