This is a Java simulation on electrostatic induction, showing how it is possible to charge a conductor without direct contact. A conductor is placed in close proximity to a charged object (the user controls amount of charge from -200 to 200.) Charge separation in the conductor, grounding, and ungrounding are all then simulated in turn. At any time, users may view the changing electric field as a "grass seeds" representation or as electric potential lines. Clicking and dragging anywhere within the field will allow a 3-D view of the system.

This item is part of a collection of visualizations developed by the MIT TEAL project to supplement an introductory course in calculus-based electricity and magnetism.
Lecture notes, labs, and presentations are also available as part of MIT's Open Courseware Repository:
MIT Open Courseware: Electricity and Magnetism

Please note that this resource requires Java Applet Plug-in.

Please note that this resource requires Java (JRE).