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Electric Field and Equipotential Lines

The document describes an experiment to map equipotential lines and electric field lines generated by different electrical configurations using a field mapping board. Students trace equipotential lines by moving a probe to points of zero potential difference and connect them with smooth curves. Electric field lines are drawn perpendicular to equipotential lines based on the property that the electric field is perpendicular to equipotential surfaces.

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Linda T-Dao
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619 views3 pages

Electric Field and Equipotential Lines

The document describes an experiment to map equipotential lines and electric field lines generated by different electrical configurations using a field mapping board. Students trace equipotential lines by moving a probe to points of zero potential difference and connect them with smooth curves. Electric field lines are drawn perpendicular to equipotential lines based on the property that the electric field is perpendicular to equipotential surfaces.

Uploaded by

Linda T-Dao
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Electric Field and Equipotential Lines

Name: Course: Physics Names of group members: Instructor: Date:


Two points in an electric field have a difference of potential if work is required to carry a charge from one point to the other. It is possible to find a large number of points in an electric field, all of which have the same potential. If a line is drawn that it includes all such points, the line is known as an equipotential line. A test charge may be moved along an equipotential line without doing any work. Since no work is done in moving a charge along an equipotential line it follows that there can be no no component of the electric filed along an equipotential line. Thus the electric field lines must be everywhere perpendicular to the equipotential surface. Objective: Analyze the electric field by measuring equipotential lines and plotting the electric field lines generated by different electrical configurations. Equipment: Field mapping board Conductive plates with various shapes silver metallic terminals, a U shaped probe 1 DC voltmeter 1 galvanometer

Setup and operation: 1. Remove the thumb screws and center one of the field plates so that the holes in the plate coincide with the holes in the metal bars. 2. Fasten a paper to the upper side of the board. 3. Select the design template containing the field plate configuration you have chosen. 4. Place the template on the two metal projections and trace the pattern corresponding to the plate on the underside. 5. Carefully slide the U shape probe onto the mapping board with the ball end facing the underside of the board. 6. Connect one lead of the galvanometer to the U shaped probe and one to the banana jack.E1 through E7. 7. Apply with appropriated leads 6V (DC) from the bench power supply to the connections market battery on the upper side of the board. 8. Guide the probe without applying pressure or squeezing its jaws. Move the U shaped probe over the paper to a zero reading (potential difference zero) and record it. The circular hole in the top arm of the probe is directly above the contact point that touches the graphite-coated paper. Move the probe to another null point position and record it. 9. Continue until you have generated a series of these points across the paper (8-10 points). Be sure to investigate the regions around the ends of the plate electrodes. Connect the equipotential lines with a smooth curve and record the potential lines value. 10. Connect the galvanometer to a new banana jack and plot the new equipotential line.

11. Repeat until equipotential lines are plotted for all banana jacks E1 through E7. Since the potential difference is the same across each resistor, the equipotential lines will be spaced to show an equipotential drop between consecutive lines. Data: Your paper shows the equipotential field lines. Label each equipotential line with their appropriate voltage values. Using dashed lines draw in the electric field lines of the configuration studied (perpendicular lines to the equipotential lines) for each configuration that you used. Indicate with arrows the direction of the electric field lines.

Questions: 1. Is it possible for two different equipotential lines or two lines of force to cross? Explain. 2. How much work is done in transferring an electrostatic unit of charge from the one terminal to the other terminal in this experiment?

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