In: Physics
On the corkboard at your table, you will have two conducting washers, pinned down to conducting paper the metal pushpins. One of the conducting washers is connected to a positive voltage source; the other is connected to ground. Because of this voltage difference, the two washers become charged: the one connected to the voltage source is positively charged, the one connected to ground is negatively charged. You will learn more about voltage later, but for now, we will use voltage measurements as a technique to investigate the electric field of these charged objects. If one uses a voltage probe with the two leads held a constant distance apart, one can get an idea of the direction of an electric field by finding the direction of maximum voltage difference at any given point.
Available equipment: Power supply, PASCO Voltage Probe – taped together to provide a constant distance between the leads, conducting paper, conducting pushpins, conducting washers, conducting plates, connecting wires.
Knowing how the voltage probe can be used to measure electric field direction, design an experiment to map the electric field of the two charged metal washers.
As shown in the above figure is the experimental setup. You have a fixed distance voltage measurement probe. Turn on the power supply. A charge is being generated in those conducting washers,
Experimental steps: