Review for:Electric field lines for various charge configurations

If you used this resource in your own classroom, please add your review.

    

posted: on June 4, 2007 at 1:15PM

My rating of this resource: ****

My experience using this resource:
Electricity

Topic I was teaching:
Electric Fields

My learning goal for which this resource was used:
Quickly familiarizing my students with Electric Field patterns and forces on test charges.

Course Level:
Honors or Advanced

How I/my students used the resource:
I brought up the applet and quickly went through a few combinations to get the students started thinking about the field lines. (We compared them to topographical maps and also used a sheet in the back of the classroom with a marble as the proton.)

Later I assigned students to make their own arrangements and draw them for homework

Value Added:
Provides visualization or animation, Provides a virtual lab

Strengths:
This applet is a nice FREE version of EMField, a rather decent but expensive program. It works quickly, it has a good range of possible charge combinations, and it very clearly shows that the test charge is POSITIVE.

Weaknesses:
It is not infinitely flexible (you cannot create any possible charge setup.)

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