Electric Fields

Central Questions

•What are the shapes of equipotential lines?

•What is the shape and strength of an electrical field?

Equipment

•Ripple tank•Graph paper•Electrodes – point and line•Power supply•Multimeter

Procedure• Set up the data sheet.

Procedure

•Set up the field.▫Fill the tank with water to a depth of about

¼ “.▫Put the electrodes (bolt heads) at opposite

ends of the grid, on the indicated places above the grid.

▫Connect one electrode to + and the other to – on the power supply.

▫Plug the power supply in , switch it on, and dial it all the way up.

Connecting the Pieces

Setting the Multimeter

Collect Data

•While keeping the – probe in the same location, move the + probe to each location on the grid.

•For each location, record the voltage.

Mapping the Data