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Go to https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/charges-and-fields.

Click on the play button to launch the simulation. Once it has loaded, follow these instructions, carefully answering the questions along the way.

• Unselect the “Electric Field” option on the right.

• Select the “Voltage” option on the right. • Drag a “+1 nC” red positive charge from the bottom to the middle.

• Drag the rounded square box with the black crosshairs near the red positive charge. This box is a “V -field detector”. In the white box it shows the value of the V -field (electric potential field) in the middle of the crosshairs.

• Question 1: Drag the detector in a circle around the positive charge keeping the crosshairs a constant distance from it. Describe how the value of the V -field changes as you do this

• Question 2: Drag the detector away further away from the positive charge. Describe the value of the V -field as you do this. Describe what the red color in the simulation is indicating.

• Drag the positive charge back to the box at the bottom. Drag a “-1 nC” blue negative charge to the middle.

• Questions 3 and 4: Repeat Questions 1 and 2 but with the negative charge present instead.

• Drag a positive charge to a location a moderate distance from the negative charge.

• Question 5: Use the detector to investigate the V -field produced by the two charges together. Describe your findings.

• Question 6: Investigate the region exactly halfway between the two charges. What is the value of the V -field in this region? Come up with a reason why this value makes sense.

• Question 7: Using any configuration of charges (your choice), investigate what the “pencil” button on the lower right part of the V detector with the crosshairs does. Describe your findings.