GRAND MASTER ASSIGNMENT OF PHYSICS

CHAPTER :- ELECTRIC CHARGES AND FIELD

(BY : MR. VIKAS KUMAR ; Ph : 9810576334)

VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (1 mark each)

Electric charge and its properties
Q.1. What is the cause of charging?
Q.2. An isolated conducting sphere is given a positive charge. Does its mass increase, decrease or remain the same?
Q.3. What is meant by quantization of charge?
Q.4. What do you mean by additivity of electric charge ?
Q.5. What do you mean by conservation of electric charge ?
Q.6. Is the total charge of the universe conserved ?
Q.7. Why does an ebonite rod get negatively charged on rubbing with fur ?
Q.8. Name any two basic properties of electric charge.
Q.9. What is the value of charge on an electron ? Is a charge less than this value possible ?
Q.10. Give two points of distinction between charge and mass.
Q.11. What is the basic cause of quantization of charge ?
Q.12. Can ever photons have a charge ? If not why ?
Q.13. Which of the following quantities’ depends on state of rest or motion of a body : (a) mass (b) length (c) time
(d) charge (e) charge density and (f) phase ?
Q.14. Is the force acting between two point charges q 1∧q 2kept at some distance in air, attractive or repulsive
when : ( i ) q1 q2 >0 ( ii ) q1 q2 <0 .
Coulomb’s Law
Q.15. Does Coulomb’s law of electric force obey Newton’s third law of motion ?
Q.16. Is the electric force between two electrons greater than the gravitational force between them ? If so, by what
factor ?
Q.17. Electrostatic forces are much stronger than gravitational forces. Give one example.
Q.18. What is the dimensional formula for ϵ 0 ?
Q.19. Write down the value of absolute permittivity of free space.
Q.20. Define dielectric constant of a medium in terms of force between electric charges.
Q.21. What is the relevance of large value of K (= 81) for water ?
Q.22. Force of attraction between two point charges placed at a distance ‘d’ is F. What distance apart should they be
kept in the same medium so that force between them is F/3 ?
Q.23. In coulomb’s law, on what factors does the value of electrostatic force constant ‘k’ depend ?
Q.24. When two charges q 1∧q 2are kept at some distance apart, force acting between these charges is F. If a
third charge q 3 is placed quite close to q 2, what will happen to the force between q 1∧q 2?
Q.25. Does the coulomb force that one charge exerts on another, change if other charges are brought nearby ?
Electric field
Q.26. What is electric field intensity at a point at a distance ‘r’ meter from ‘q’ coulomb of a charge in free space?
Q.27. A point charge ‘q’ is placed at the origin. How does the electric field due to the charge vary with distance ‘r’
from the origin ?
Q.28. Is electric field intensity is scalar or vector quantity ? Give its SI unit.
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Q.29. Write the dimensional formula of electric field.
Q.30. A proton is placed in a uniform electric field directed along the positive x-axis. In which direction will it tend to
move ?
Q.31. Name any four vector fields.
Q.32. How does a free electron at rest move in an electric field ?
Q.33. Four charges of same magnitude and same sign are placed at the corners of a square, of each side 0.1 m. What
is electric field intensity at the center of the square ?
Q.34. Force experienced by an electron in an electric field ⃗ E is ‘F’ newton. What will be the force experienced by a
proton in the same field ? Take mass of proton 1836 times the mass of an electron.
Q.35. What is the use of the concept of electric field intensity ?
Q.36. Name the physical quantity whose SI unit is N/C ?
Q.37. Why is electric field intensity inside a charged conductor zero ?
Q.38. Two point charges of +3 μC each are 100 cm apart. At what point on the line joining the charges will the
electric intensity be zero ?
Q.39. What is nature of symmetry of field due to a point charge ?
Q.40. When is an electric line of force straight ?
Q.41. When is an electric line of force curved ?
Electric dipole
Q.42. Draw electric lines of force due to an electric dipole.
Q.43. Define electric dipole moment. Write its SI unit.
Q.44. What is an ideal dipole ?
Q.45. In which orientation, a dipole placed in a uniform field is in (i) stable (ii) unstable equilibrium ?
Q.46. What is the net force on a dipole in a uniform electric field ?
Q.47. How does a torque affect the dipole in an electric field ?
Q.48. Which rule gives you the direction of torque ?
Q.49. What happens when an electric dipole is held in a non uniform electric field ?
Q.50. At what points, dipole field intensity is parallel to the line joining the charges ?
Q.51. How much is the dipole moment of non-polar molecule ?
Q.52. When does an electric dipole placed in a non uniform electric field experience a zero torque but non-zero
force.
Q.53. When is the torque on a dipole in a field maximum ?
Q.54. Will an electric dipole have translational motion when placed in a non-uniform electric field ? Give reason for
your answer.
Electric Flux and Gauss’s Theorem
Q.55. Name the principle which is mathematical equivalent of coulomb’s law and superposition principle.
Q.56. If the radius of the Gaussian surface enclosing a charge ‘q’ is halved, how does the electric flux through the
Gaussian surface change?
Q.57. A charge ‘q’ is placed at the Centre of a cube of side ‘l’ what is the electric flux passing through two opposite
faces of the cube?
Q.58. Two concentric spherical shells of radii R and 2R are given charges Q 1 and Q2 respectively. The surface charge
densities of the outer surfaces are equal. Determine the ratio of Q 1: Q2.
Q.59. Can Gauss’s law in electrostatics tell us exactly where the charge is located within the Gaussian surface?
Q.60. What is the relation between electric intensity and electric flux?
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (2 mark each)
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Electric charge and its properties
Q.1. A copper sphere of mass 2 g contains nearly 2 ×1022 atoms. The charge on the nucleus of each atom is 29 e.
What fraction of the electrons must be removed from the sphere to give it a charge of +2 μC ?
Q.2. Give four properties of electric charges.
Coulomb’s Law
Q.3. Dielectric constant of a medium is unity. What will be its permittivity ?
Q.4. Two small balls having equal positive charge q coulomb are suspended by two insulating strings of equal length
‘l’ meter from a hook fixed to a stand. The whole set up is taken in a satellite into space where there is no
gravity. What is the angle between the two strings and the tension in each string ?
Q.5. An attractive force of 5 N is acting between two charges of +2 μC∧−2 μC placed at some distance. If the
charges are mutually touched and placed again at the same distance. What will be the new force, between
them ?
Q.6. Two point charges of +2 μ C and +6 μ C repel each other with a force of 12 N. If each is given an additional
charge of −4 μC , what will be the new force ?
Q.7. What is the importance of expression coulomb’s law in vector form?
Q.8. State superposition principle for electrostatic force on a charge due to a number of charges.
Q.9. Two identical metallic spheres A and B, each carrying a charge ‘q’ repel each other with a force F. A third
metallic uncharged sphere C of the same size is made to touch the spheres A and B alternately and them
removed away. What is the force of repulsion between A and B ?
Electric field
Q.10. Why no two electric lines of force can intersect each other ?
Q.11. Define electric field intensity at a point.
Q.12. Give two properties of electric field lines.
Q.13. A charged particle is free to move in an electric field. Will it always move along an electric line of force ?
Electric dipole
Q.14. What does (q ¿ ¿ 1+ q2 )=0 ¿ signify ?
Q.15. An electric dipole is placed at rest in a uniform electric field, and released. How will it move ?
Q.16. Define the term electric dipole moment. Is it scalar or vector ?
Q.17. What is the direction of field intensity at a point (i) on axial line of dipole and (ii) on equatorial line of dipole ?
Q.18. What is the nature of symmetry of the electric field due to (i) point charge and (ii) electric dipole ?
Q.19. When an electric dipole is suspended in a uniform electric field, then under what conditions the dipole is in
(i) stable equilibrium and (ii) unstable equilibrium.
Q.20. Show that when an electric dipole is placed in a uniform electric field ⃗ E , potential energy ‘U’ is given by
U =−⃗p . ⃗
E.
Q.21. An electric dipole is held at an angle ‘’ in a uniform electric field E. Will there be any (i) net translating force
(ii) torque acting on it? Explain.
Q.22. A charge q1 is inside the Gaussian surface; charge q 2 just outside the surface. Does the electric flux through the
surface depend on q 1? Does it depend on q2? Explain.
Q.23. Using Gauss’s law, derive an expression for the electric field intensity at any point near a uniformly charged
thin wire of charge/length =  C/m.
Q.24. Define electric flux. Write its SI unit. A charge ‘q’ is enclosed by a spherical surface of radius R. If the radius is
reduced to half, how would the electric flux through the surface change?
Q.25. Draw a graph to show the variation of electric field intensity E with perpendicular distance r from an infinite
line of charge density  C/m. Find work done in bringing a charge q from perpendicular distance r1 to r2.
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SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (3 mark each)
Q.1. What do you understand by (a) quantization of charge and (b) conservation of charge. Explain each with
illustrations.
Q.2. Explain Coulomb’s law in vector form and discuss the importance of this study.
Q.3. Define SI unit of charge, electromagnetic unit of charge and electrostatic unit of charge. State the relation
between them.
Q.4. What is meant by Dielectric constant and absolute electrical permittivity of medium. How are they related ?
State SI units of dielectric constant and absolute electrical permittivity.
Q.5. Explain super position principle. Apply it to obtain total force on appoint charge due to ‘n’ discrete charges.
Q.6. Establish relation between electric field strength and force.
Q.7. Explain what is meant by an electric line of force ? Give its two important properties ?
Q.8. Give two properties of electric lines of force. Sketch them for an isolated positive point charge and an electric
dipole.
Q.9. State and prove Gauss’s law in electrostatics.
Q.10. State Gauss’s Theorem in electrostatics and deduce Coulomb’s law from Gauss’s theorem.
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (5 mark each)
Q.1. How will you show that there are two kinds of charges? Explain with proper illustrations.
Q.2. What do you understand by the phenomenon of charging by induction? Give some illustrations to support your
answer.
Q.3. What is meant by continuous charge distribution? Apply superposition principle to obtain total force on a point
charge due to
(i). continuous line distribution of charge.
(ii) continuous surface distribution of charge and
(iii) continuous volume distribution of charge.
Q.4. Derive an expression for electric field intensity at a point due to
(i). A point charge (ii) A group of charges (iii) Continuous charge distribution.
Q.5. Derive general expression for rectangular components of electric intensity due to point charge in space.
Q.6. Derive an expression for dipole field intensity at any point on (i) axial line of dipole (ii) equatorial line of dipole.
(iii) at any point. (iv) axis of uniformly charged ring.
Q.7. Derive an expression for force and torque acting on an electric dipole in a uniform two-dimensional electric field.
In which situation, torque on the dipole is (i) maximum and (ii) minimum.
Q.8. Derive an expression for potential energy of an electric dipole in a uniform electric field. In which situation, the
potential energy of dipole is (i) maximum and (ii) minimum.
Q.9. Using Gauss’s theorem, derive an expression for electric field intensity at a point due to (i) a line of charge (ii) a
uniformly charged thin spherical shell (iii) a charged solid sphere (iv) an infinite plane sheet of charge. (v) two
parallel sheets of charge with charge densities,  and - .
Q.10. State Gauss’s Law. Using this law, obtain expression for the electric field due to an infinitely long straight
conductor of linear charge density .
NUMERICAL PROBLEMS.
Electric Charge and its Properties.
Q.1. Calculate the number of electrons which should be removed from a conductor so that it quires a positive charge
of 3.5 nC. (Ans: 2.187  1010)
Q.2. An object has an excess charge of −1.92 ×10−7 C . How many excess electrons does it have ?
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 (Ans :120 electrons)
Q.3. Which is bigger, a coulomb or charge on an electron ? How many electronic charges form one coulomb of
charge ? (Ans: 0.625 1019)
Q.4. How much positive and negative charge is there in a cup of water ? (Ans: 1.338  107 C)
Q.5. If a body gives out 109 electrons every second, how much time is required to get a total charge of 1 C from it ?
(Ans: 198.18 year)
Q.6. A metal sphere has a charge of −6.5 μC . When 5 ×10 electrons are removed from the sphere, what would be
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the net charge on it ? (Ans: 1.5 C)

Q.7. Two bodies A and B carry charges −3.00 μC and −0.44 μC . How many electrons should be transferred from A
to
B so that they acquire equal charges ? (Ans: 8 X 10 12)
Q.8. A free pith ball P of 10 g carries a positive charge of 5 ×10−8 C . What must be the nature and magnitude of
charge that should be given to another pith ball Q fixed 7 cm below the former ball, so that upper ball is
stationary ? (Ans: 1.067 X 10 -6 C)
Q.9. Force of attraction between two point charges placed at a distance ‘d’ is F. What distance apart should the be
kept in the same medium, so that the force between them is 2F ? (Ans: 0.707 d)
−8
Q.10. Two charged particles having charge 2.0 ×10 C each are joined by an insulating string of length 1 m and the
system is kept on a smooth horizontal table. Find the tension in the string. (Ans: 3.6 X 10 -6N)
Q.11. Coulomb’s law for electrostatics force between two point charges and Newton’s law for gravitational force
between two stationary points masses, both have inverse square dependence on the distance between the
charges/masses (a) compare the strength of these forces by determining the ratio of their magnitudes (i) for
an electron and a proton (ii) for two protons (b) estimate the accelerations for electron and proton due to
electrical force of their mutual attraction whey they are 1 A 0 apart.
(Ans: 2.3 X 10 39 ; 1.3 X 1036 ; 2.5 X 1022 m/s2 ; 1.3 X 1019 m/s2 )
Q.12. Ten positively charged particles are kept fixed on x-axis at points x = 10 cm, 20 cm, 30 cm ………, 100 cm. The
first particle has charge 1.0 ×10−8 C , second 8 ×10−8 C , third 27 ×10−8 C and so on. Tenth particle will
have charge 1000 ×10−8 C . Find the magnitude of electric force acting on a 1 C charge placed at the origin.
(Ans: 4.95 X 10 5N)
Q.13. Three point charges are placed at the following points on x-axis 3 C at x=0 , -4 C at x = 50 cm and -5 C at
x = 120 cm. Calculate the force on -4  C charge. (Ans:0.799 N towards left)
Electric Field
Q.14. Calculate the electric field strength which is required to just support a water drop of mass 10 -3 kg and having a
charge 1.6 X 10-19 C. (Ans: 6.125 X 10 16 N/C)
Q.15. A particle of mass 10-4 kg and charge 5 C is thrown at a speed of 20 m/s against a uniform electric field of
strength 2 X 105 N/C. How much distance will it travel before coming to rest momentarily ? (Ans: 0.02 m)
1 −7
Q.16. A free pith ball of mass 6 g carries a positive charge of ×10 C . What is the nature and magnitude of
3
charge that should be given to a second pith ball fixed 5 cm vertically below the former pith ball so that the
upper pith ball is stationary. (Ans: 4.90 X 10 -7 C)
Q.17. A small sphere of mass 1 g carries a charge of +6 μC . The sphere is suspended by a string in an electric field of
400 N/C acting downwards. Calculate tension in the string. What will be the tension if charge on the sphere
were −6 μC . (Ans: 1.22 X 10 -2 N; 74 X 10-4
N)

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Q.18. An electron falls through a distance of 1.5 cm in a uniform electric field of value 2 X 10 4 N/C. When the
direction of electric field is reversed, a proton falls through the same distance. Compare the time of fall in
each case. Contrast the situation with that of ‘free fall under gravity’.
(Ans : For electron 2.9 X 10 -9 sec; For proton 1.25 X 10-7 sec)
Q.19. Two charges each of 1 C but opposite in sign are 1 cm apart. Calculate electric field at a point distance 10 cm
form the mid point of axial line of the dipole. (Ans : 18 X 10 4 N/C)
Q.20. Two charges +20 C and -20 C are held 1 cm apart. Calculate the electric field at a point on the equatorial line
at a distance of 50 cm form the centre of the dipole. (Ans : 1.44 X 10 4 N/C)
Q.21. What is the magnitude of electric intensity due to a dipole of moment 2 X 10 -8 C-m at a point distance 1 m from
the centre of dipole, when line joining the point to the centre of dipole makes an angle of 60 0 with dipole axis ?
(Ans : 238.1 N/C)
Q.22. Two charges ± 10 μC are placed 5.0 mm apart. Determine the electric field at (a) a point P on the axis of
dipole
15 cm away from its centre on the side of the positive charge, and (b) a point Q 15 cm away from O on a line
passing through O and normal to the axis of the dipole . (Ans : 2.67 X 10 5 N/C; 1.33 X 105 N/C)
Q.23. The electric field due to a short dipole at a distance ‘r’, on the axial line, from its mid point is the same as
electric field at a distance r’ on the equatorial line, from its mid point. Determine the ration r/r’. (Ans: 2 1/3)
Q.24. Two charges ± 10 μC are placed 5 X 10-3 m apart. Determine the electric field at a point ‘Q’ 0.15 m away from
O, on a line passing through O and normal to the axis of the dipole. (Ans : 1.33 X 10 5 N/C)
Q.25. An electric dipole consists of two charges of ± 0.1 μC separated by a distance of 2.0 cm . The dipole is placed
in
an external field of 105 N/C. What maximum torque does the field exert on the dipole ? (Ans: 2 X 10 -4 N-m)
Q.26. An electric dipole of moment 5 X 10 -8 C-m is aligned in a uniform electric field of 1.44 X 10 4 N/C. Calculate
potential energy of the dipole to hold the dipole at 60 0 with the direction of electric field. (Ans : 3.6 X 10 -4 J)
Q.27. A dipole consisting of an electron and a proton separated by a distance of 4 X 10 -10 m is situated in an electric
field of intensity 3 X 10 5 N/C at an angle of 300 with the field. Calculate the dipole moment and the torque
acting on it. Charge e on an electron = 1.6 X 10 -19 C. (Ans : 6.4 X 10 -29 C-m ; 9.6 X 10-24 Nm)
Q.28. Three charges, each equal to ‘q’ are placed at three corners of a square of side ‘a’. Find the electric field at the
fourth corner. (Ans :
( 2 √2+1 ) q
2
¿
8 π ε 0a
Electric Dipole
Q.29. Calculate the magnitude of the force, due to an electric dipole of dipole moment 3.6 ×10−29 Cm, on an
electron 25 nm from the centre of the dipole, along the dipole axis. Assume that this distance is large relative
to the dipole’s charge separation. [ Ans: 6.6× 10−15 N ]
Q.30. Charge q1 = +6.0 nC is on y-axis at y = + 3cm and charge q2 = -6.0 nC is on y-axis at y = -3 cm. Calculate force on
a test charge q0 = 2 nC placed on x-axis at x = 4 cm. ( Ans :−51.8 ^j N )
Q.31. Two point charges each of 5 µC but opposite in sign are placed 4 cm apart. Calculate the electric field intensity
at a point distant 4 cm from the mid point on the axial line of dipole. ( Ans :108 N /C )
Q.32. Two charges +q and -q are located at points A(0,0,-2) and B(0,0,2) respectively. How much work will be done in
moving a test charge from point P(4,0,0) to Q(-5,0,0)? ( Ans: Zero¿ )
Q.33. An electric dipole of dipole moment 4 ×10−5 Cm is placed in a uniform electric field of 103 N /C making an
angle of 300 with the direction of field. Determine the torque exerted by the electric field on the dipole
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 { Ans :2 ×10−8 Nm ¿
Q.34. An electric dipole of length 10 cm having charges ± 6 ×10−3 C , placed at 300 with respect to a uniform electric
field experiences a torque of magnitude 6 √ 3 Nm. Calculate (i) magnitude of electric field (ii) the potential
N
energy of dipole. [ Ans : ( i ) 2 √ 3 ×104 ( ii ) −18 J ]
C
Q.35. An electric dipole of length 4 cm, when placed with its axis making an angle of 600 with a uniform electric field,
experiences a torque of 4 √ 3 Nm . Calculate the potential energy of the dipole, if it has a charge ± 8 nC .
[Ans: -4J]

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