Charges and electric fields – field vectors, potential and equipotentials

PhysicsElectric & Magnetic FieldsAges 16–17

Tap a button to take a +1 nC or −1 nC charge from the supply and drag it anywhere in the play area (up to 20 charges); the grid of electric field vectors and the colour map of electric potential update around the charges. Drag the sensor to read the magnitude and direction of the electric field at a point, drag the two voltmeter probes to measure potential difference, and use the tape measure for distances. Switch on the equipotential tool and tap the play area to trace and draw a labelled equipotential line. Based on the "Charges and Fields" simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder (CC BY 4.0); rewritten.

Lesson: Electric fields