Electric Field Hockey (Phet)
Go to phet.colorado.edu and click on “play with sims.”
Playing Electric Field Hockey
1. Click on the category named Electricity, Magnets, & Circuits, then find Electric Field
Hockey, click on it, then select Run Now!.
2. Start with difficulty level 1. Place up to 10 + charges and 10 – charges in strategic
locations to help push/pull the hockey puck into the goal. When you get it, make sure
the trace is showing, then either use Print Screen to take a picture of your solution or
carefully draw the barriars and your set up on another piece of paper (include the
trace).
3. Repeat for difficulty level 2.
Level 3 is extra credit.
Post-Game Analysis
1. Which direction do electric field lines point for positive charges?
2. Which direction do electric field lines point for negative charges?
3. What do the direction and strength of the field lines indicate for the (positively
charged) “puck?”
4. Did the (positively charged) puck always move in the same direction as the field lines
it was passing over?
5. What happened (or would happen) if you changed the charge of the puck from
positive to negative?
6. What happened when you increased the mass of the puck?
7. How did the distance between the puck and the particles affect the motion of the
puck?
8. List two or three cool things you got the puck to do. Why did each one happen?
9. The field lines on the program are evenly spaced, with darker shades of grey
indicating a stronger field. This is a very clear way of presenting this information.
However, it is not what we will normally use. Why do you think that is?