Context

Physics, a science that studies nature, is composed of several sub fields. One of the most important is Electromagnetism, that analyzes the behavior of electrical charges in a state of motion or rest. Electric forces and fields, which are subjects of Electromagnetism, are essential topics in the project at hand.

Electric Forces are primarily defined by the Coulomb Law. According to it, electric forces between charged bodies are directly proportional to the multiplication of those charges, and inversely proportional to the square of their distance. Understanding such principle is crucial when it comes to interpreting several natural phenomenon and practical applications. Each charged body generates an electric field around it. Electric fields are vectors, meaning that they have direction, magnitude and sense.

Electric Fields are directly related with electric charge interaction. If a small charged body was added into an electric field it would experience a force, that is proportional to its charge. The electric field represents the force that such charge would feel for each of its unity. Studying this particular field enables the understanding of actions generated by fields created by static charges.

The concepts of electric forces and fields are part of everyday life and modern technology. Electricity is one of the most important energy resources today. Without it most technological devices wouldn't work. We interact with electricity at home, in vehicles, hospitals, factories and many other locations. Furthermore it's crucial to grasp such concepts in areas such as engineering, communication and medicine.

The following sources are recommended for further study:

1. Book: “Physics for Scientists and Engineers – Volume 2”, by Paul A. Tipler and Gene Mosca. It contains a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the subject.

2. “Escola Brasil” Website: [Electric Force and Electric Field] (https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/fisica/forca-eletrica-campo-eletrico.htm). This site offers well explained articles and illustrations to aid comprehension.

3. Video: “What's and Electric field?” from the Ciência Todo Dia channel on YouTube. The channel offers interesting and educative contents.

Hands-on Activity

Activity Title: Virtual Laboratory: Electric Forces and Fields

Project Objective:

This project's goal is for students to increase their knowledge on electric force and fields through hands-on experience in a virtual laboratory. Students will explore concepts, run simulations, and apply their knowledge to real-life problem solving.

Project Description:

This project uses “PhET Interactive Simulations”, a tool from Colorado University in Boulder that provides a series of physics simulators, including Electric Forces and Fields.

Students will be divided in groups of three to five members and the project duration is a month.

Required Materials:

• Desktop computer with internet connection.
• Graph designing software such as Microsoft Excel
• Report writing software (i.e., Microsoft Word, Google Docs).

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Theoretical Study: Students will study electric force and fields through books, websites and videos. A presentation will be prepared to share the gathered information.

2. Simulation of Electric Forces and Fields:

Through PhET's website, students will use Electric Field Hockey simulator: Electric Field Hockey such tool will enable students to observe how positive and negative charges interact with each other as well as the behavior of the electric field vector.

Several simulations should be run, changing the amount and position of the charges to observe how the electric field is created and how it affects a given body. During simulations results must be registered and graphs must be elaborated to show the observed effects.

3. Problem-solving

A real-life problem involving electric fields and forces must be presented by the group. Such problem must have a proposed solution that is backed up by the theoretical and simulation findings.

Project Deliverables:

A final report containing the following sections must be handed:

• Introduction: Brief description of the subject, its real-life applications and project objectives.

• Development: Thorough description of studied concepts and simulations, employed methodology and presentation of results. Students must provide a discussion on how data relates to the theoretical concepts learned

• Conclusion: Considerations about the project, including learning outcomes and final conclusions.

• Bibliography: List of all materials used during the development of the project.

Reports must be written clearly and objectively to ensure other readers can fully understand the project and the obtained results. Students must use tables, graphs, and images for a more illustrative and dynamic document.