PHYS 2 IUPUI Charges and Fields Lab Report

Charges and Fields PhET Lab

Today, you will use the Charges and Fields PhET lab to map the electric field around one or more point charges.

https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/charges-and-fields

Beginning Observations

1) Open the Charges and Fields PhET simulation. What can you change about the simulation?

2) What do the “E-field sensors” show?

3) Select, show E-field. How does the color of the arrow relate to the strength of the field?

4) How can you make a charge of +2q? -3q?

Part 1 – Field around isolated point charges

5) Draw the field lines for the scenarios below. Make sure you are sketching continuous field lines.

Part 2 – Field around two point charges in a line

6) Draw the field lines for the scenarios below. Make sure you are sketching continuous field lines.

Place a test e-field sensor anywhere on the screen for both scenarios and draw what you see.

7) When you have two like charges in a line – where is the electric field the greatest? Is there ever a point where the field will be zero?

8) When you have two unlike charges in a line – where is the electric field the greatest? Is there ever a point where the field will be zero?

Part 3 – More complicated scenarios

9) For this part of the lab, create three arrangements of your choice and draw the field lines you see.

Place at least three field sensors in each of your scenarios above and draw what you see on your diagrams.

Part 4 – The field around charge distributions

10) Make a long line of positive charges by placing them very close together. How does the field change as you move down the line of charges?

11) Construct a parallel-plate capacitor where a second line of charges equal in size and opposite in charge are placed below the line of positive charges. Examine what the “E-field” is like between the plates using a sensor.