Color Physics @Hampshire, Day 6

February 24, 2017 /

On Day 6, we began to unpack the statement that light is an electromagnetic wave, leaving the particle nature of light for a later discussion.

A styrofoam sphere prickled with toothpicks.
A toy model of the electric field lines of a spherically symmetric electric charge made of styrofoam sphere and toothpicks.
  • We discussed electric charge and electric force.
  • We introduced the concept of electric field!
  • We learned about two ways of visually representing the strength and the direction of the electric field, one with arrows at various points, the other with field lines. To get a better sense of the spatial distribution of the field, students built with styrofoam balls and toothpicks 3D models of the electric field of a spherically symmetric charge.
  • We worked on conceptual problems testing students’ understanding of the above concepts.