Electricity & Magnetism: Field Visualizer

PIRA Class: 5B10.28

Purpose:
To illustrate the electric field about a charged object and the electric force on charged objects within that electric field. 

Description: 

Bermuda seeds suspended in oil display electric field lines about a round object and a square object.

- Attach leads from Wimshurst to the Field Visualizer situated on overhead projector.

- Separate discharge arms on Wimshurst and crank it up. NOTE: During this demo, all metal parts, visualizers included, are highly charged, take care in handling this equipment.

- Observe the action of the burmuda seeds:

  * Burmuda seeds are initially attracted to metal portions by charge induction.

  * Upon touching either side, individual seeds acquired the charge of that respective side and is subsequently repelled by that side and attracted to the other (oppositely charged) side.

  * Some "seed charge bridges" are formed from one side of the visualizer to the other.

  * For the visualizer with the center rectangular "terminal", note the difference between the field line densities at the rectangle ends vs. sides. 

Equipment:
Wimshurst, Field Visualizers 

Location:
Shelf 314, 332