A STUDY OF THE ELECTRIC FIELD EMMITED BY THE APTERONOTUS ALBIFRONS ELECTRIC FISH

Luisa F. Zambrano, Irevis Nieves, Reynaldo Santos, Department of Science and
Technology, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Javier Avalos, Department of Science and Technology, Universidad
Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

    It is known that other research groups have carried out studies on the characterization of
the electric field emitted by the Apteronotus albifrons. This research project takes the
same route. We have been able to measure some of the more important characteristics of
an electric field, like its amplitude, measuring a very uniform 2.5 mV/cm field. The
frequency is about 1Mhtz. To do this, it was necessary to design a submersible probe
system inside the water which allowed us to obtain this information.
 

Luisa F. Zambrano and Emilio Luna, Department of Science and Technology, Universidad
Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Dr. Javier Avalos, Dr. Martin Engman, Science, Technology, and Health School,
Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico

    The equipotential curves for three different electric charge configurations, charge-charge, charge-plate,
and plate-plate were drawn using the Microsoft Excel Program. The manner of collection of data used
was conventional methodology. In this work, the trend line fitting was performed for each curve, and also
as its associate equation. Due to complications of behavior of the data points, it was necessary to do the
fitting by section curve. The Electric Field function was obtained using the gradient operator on the
equipotential function.