Equipotential Lines and Electric Fields Labratory Experiment

[llauren84]

Homework Statement

Our lab is not online, but this is so similar to what we did. http://physics.fullerton.edu/~SAM/PDF/Lab%20Manuals/212/Individual%20Experiments/Equipotential%20Surfaces%20E6.pdf" Instead of the ten that they set their voltage to, we set ours to 12.

Homework Equations

Eq. 1: E=Fq , where E and F are vectors, E is the electric field, F is the force on the charge, and q is the small positive test charge.
Eq. 2: $$\Delta$$V = Ed, where $$\Delta$$V is the potential difference, E is the electric field strength, and d is the distance between potentials.

The Attempt at a Solution

I am so confused and unfortunately, I can't ask the professor at this time. I have a few questions.
(1) I am not sure what q is exactly. Is that the number that the multimeter reads or is it the number 12 that we set our voltage to?
(2) How can I calculate $$\Delta$$V?
(3) Do you think I should be doing different calculations for points on different equipotential lines if the q is the readout from the multimeter at those points or along the curve?

Basically, I just have no idea what to calculate. I am so used to charts as our data and I'm having a hard time taking the info from the curves that we drew to actual calculations.

Please help. Thanks so much.

 

[ideasrule]

I am so confused and unfortunately, I can't ask the professor at this time. I have a few questions.
(1) I am not sure what q is exactly. Is that the number that the multimeter reads or is it the number 12 that we set our voltage to?
(2) How can I calculate $$\Delta$$V?
(3) Do you think I should be doing different calculations for points on different equipotential lines if the q is the readout from the multimeter at those points or along the curve?

Basically, I just have no idea what to calculate. I am so used to charts as our data and I'm having a hard time taking the info from the curves that we drew to actual calculations.

Please help. Thanks so much.

(1) You don't know q, and don't need to worry about it.
(2) You measure it with a voltmeter.
(3) I'm not sure what you mean here. Along any equipotential curves, delta-V should be equal. You can approximate the electric field by measuring the distance between two equipotential curves and using the formula V=Ed; I think this is what the lab wants you to do.

 

[mikelepore]

Eq. 1: E=Fq , where E and F are vectors, E is the electric field, F is the force on the charge, and q is the small positive test charge.

Not E=Fq, but F=qE.

 

[llauren84]

Not E=Fq, but F=qE.

Thank you =)

(2) You measure it with a voltmeter.

So the multimeter readout is the $$\Delta$$V?