PhET Simulations – Static Electricity
Name ______________
Go to the website: http://phet.colorado.edu/web-pages/simulations-base.html.
Record your answers in this document including screenshots and submit through iStork. Each person should
work individually.
Choose Electricity, Magnets & Circuits from the left hand column. Scroll down and select Charges and Fields.
Clicking on the picture will open the app in the window. You can drag out positive and negative charges along
with E-Field Sensors. To measure distance click on Show numbers and then Tape Measure. To increase the
value of a charge, “pile” several charges on top of each other.
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
1. Drag out a positive charge and put it in a spot where two major grid lines cross. Click on Show E-Field.
Sketch the field below. Remember the rules drawing electric field lines: Lines do NOT cross and the strength
of the field is shown by the line density (number of lines).
2. Click on Show numbers and the scale will show in the lower left corner. Put out 2 E-Field Sensors at 1
meter and 2 meters respectively. The angle of the field and strength of the field will be indicated near the
sensor. Make sure the angle is 180°. What is the direction of the field with respect to the charge?
3. Record the values of the field. Show a calculation of the Electric Field Strength at each location.
4. Repeat with a negative charge. Draw the field below and record the field strength. How are the answers
different than for the positive charge?
5. What happens to the electric field intensity as you get closer to a charge?
6. Put out a positive and negative charge of equal strength 1.5 meters apart with the positive particle on the
left. Draw the electric field.
7. What is the electric field 0.5 meters to the right and left of the positive particle? Show your calculation as
well as reading it from the sim.
8. How does tripling the negative charge affect the E-Field at these two locations?
9. Repeat numbers 6 and 7 with two positive charges.
10. Is there any place in configuration for number 9 that the electric field is zero?
11. Put out three charges. Vary the charge type and amount of charge. Sketch the electric field.
Electric Field Hockey
Go back to the website and open Electric Field Hockey. You need to score for difficulty 1 and 2. Put screen
shots of your goals into Word. Difficulty 3 is extra credt.