My part of the first research project I have been part of was called “Electric charge memory design using finite element methods in Java”. I worked on this during the summer of 2010 and continued work during that fall term, until I got too busy with my coursework (around the end of October). This project is led by Professor Andrew Skinner and has involved other students in previous years (currently, spring 2011, my friend Lyle is working on another piece). I was examining the electric field of a conducting cylindrical disk with rounded edges and a cylindrical central opening. The majority of the research involved programming and evaluating a numerical model of the electrical potential and electric field in order to gain an understanding of the relationship between the radius of curvature and electric field at the edges of the conductor. Several particular designs of these disks, “Coulomb Pucks”, were also evaluated. The goal is for the disks to hold charge as steadily and long as possible when chemically coated with an insulating layer on the exterior surfaces. The intended application of the final product is to demonstrate and examine electrical properties in physics courses. An additional product is the program which calculates the fields of the puck which can be re-purposed for a charged conductor of any shape, and can then be applied to future research in the field.
More information on this product will be put on another page, accessible from the right panel; from there, click on "Home" in that panel to get back to the main page (yes, that may seem obvious, but one of these days my grandmother may want to read this, or yours).
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