Abstract

Mapping equipotential lines then connecting them with electric field lines can
produce an electric field map. In this experiment, this was accomplished for an
electric field consisting of point-line charges. The electric field was set up by
immersing the point-line charges in a water bath containing CuSO 4, and connecting
them to a power source. The equipotential lines were determined using a multi-
meter. Electric field map was produced after connecting equipotential lines
perpendicularly to the electric field lines. This map showed an electric field that
curved as it traveled between charges.

Keywords: Equipotential Lines, Electric Field, Electric Field Lines

Introduction

An electric field exists around any charged body. A charge placed in this field will
experience a force tending to accelerate it in a particular direction. The direction of
the electric field at a point is the direction a positive charge would tend to move if
placed at that point. Field lines are used to help visualize a vector field, such as an
electric field that surrounds a charge or a charged object. An electric field line is an
imaginary line that is drawn such that the electric field vectors are always tangent
to it at every point along the line; it is also directed in the same direction as the
electric field itself.

In any electric field there are many points having the same potential. These points
are called equipotential points and a line connecting these points is called an
equipotential line. The significance of an equipotential line is that if a test charge
moves from point to point on such a line, the electric potential energy remains
constant. A line of force is the path a free test charge would follow in traversing an
electric field. The lines of force are everywhere perpendicular to equipotential lines.
It is usually easier to measure the equipotential lines in an electric field than the
lines of force. Since these lines are perpendicular to the electric field lines, it is
straightforward to subsequently determine the electric field lines.

In this experiment, equipotential lines will be mapped between two different

charged electrodes (one positive and one negative). However, the configuration of
the electric field lines and equipotential lines will be determined by the shape of the
electrodes. The one used in this experiment is the point-line configuration as seen in
Figure 1.
Figure 1. Point-line Configuration.