ELECTROSTATICS

1. Can two bodies having same charge attract each other?

2. Why are the rubber tyres of aircrafts made slightly conducting?
3. Why automobile ignition failure occurs in damp weather?
4. What happens to the force between two charges when they are placed in a medium of dielectric
constant K.
5. Name the quantity whose unit is F/m.
6. What is the minimum and maximum value of r.?
7. Electric force between two charges is called central force. Why?
8. What orientation of an electric dipole in a uniform electric field pertains to unstable equilibrium?
9. Two free point charges +4e and +e are at a distance d apart. Where should a third point charge q be
placed so that the entire system is in equillibrium. Also find the magnitude of the charge q.
( 2d/3, -4e/9 )
10. Two +ve point charges are 3m apart and they repel each other by a force of 0.075N. If the
combined charge of two charges is 20C, find the magnitude of each charge. ( 15C, 5C)
11. Two equally charged particles held 3.2 x 10-3m apart are released from rest. The initial acceleration
of the first particle is 7m/s2 and that of the second is 9m/s2. If the mass of first particle is 6.3 x 10-
7
kg, find the mass of the second and also the charge on each particle.
(4.9 x 10-7 kg and 7.1 x 10-11C)
12. Two small spheres each of mass 10-6 kg are suspended by silk threads 50m long from a point. They
are equally charged and repel each other to a distance of 20 cm. Find the charge on each sphere.
[2.98 x 10-9C]
13. Two equal negative charges –q are fixed at points (0,a) and (0, –a) on the Y-axis. A +ve charge Q
is released from rest at the point (2a,0) on the X-axis. Discuss the motion of Q and find its time
8 3 0 ma 3
period if x<<a. [T= ]
Qq
14. Does a charge experience force due to its own field?
15. Where will the neutral point lie if two +ve charges are separated by some distance?
16. What will be the direction of electric field required to balance a electron?
17. What is the angle b/w resultant electric field and electric dipole moment at a point on
a) axial line
b) equitorial line
18. What is the torque acting on a dipole placed in uniform electric field?
19. An electric dipole is placed at an angle of 00 in a uniform electric field. What type of equilibrium it
is?
20. An electric dipole is placed at an angle of 1800 in a uniform electric field. What type of equilibrium
it is?
21. Will any force act on a dipole placed in
a) uniform electric field
b) non-uniform field.
22. Which property of electric lines show that like charges repel and unlike charges attract each other.
23. Draw lines of force due to a charge
a) q > 0 b) q < 0
24. Why is the electric field inside a hollow conductor always zero?
25. A pendulum bob of mass 80mg and carrying a charge of 2 x 10-8C is at rest in a horizontal uniform
electric field of 2 x 104V/m. Find the tension in the thread of the pendulum and the angle it makes
with the vertical.
θ

[8.8 x 10-4N, 270]

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26. ABC is a right angled triangle with the right angle at point B. Charges of –10.24, 11.52, +3.24C
are placed at points A, B and C respectively. If AB =4cm and BC = 3cm , Find the magnitude and
direction of resultant electric field at the foot D of the perpendicular drawn from point B in AC.
(254.56 NC-1,450)
27. A copper ball of density 8.6 gcm-3, 1cm in diameter is immersed in an oil of density 0.8 gcm-3. If
the ball remains suspended in oil in an electric field of intensity 36000NC-1 acting in upward
direction , find the charge on the ball. (1.1x10-6C)
28. A metal is bent into a circle of radius 10cm. It is then given a charge of 200μC which spreads on it
uniformly. Find the electric potential at the center of the circle. [ 1.8 x 107 V ]
29. An infinite number of charges each equal to q are placed along the X-axis at x=1, x=2, x=4, x=8 …
and so on.
(i) Find the potential at x=0 due to these charges.
(ii) What will be the potential if the charges at alternate positions have opposite sign.
[ q / 2πε0 , q / 6πε0 ]
30. If electric field at a point is zero then what is electric potential at that point?
31. If electric potential at a point is zero then what is electric field at that point?
32. Find the electric potential at point P due to a charge of 4 x 10-7 C located 9cm away. Also find the
work done in bringing another charge of 2 x 10-9C from infinity to point P. Does the answer
depends upon the path in which the charge is brought to point P.
[ 4 x 104 V , 8 x 105 J, No]
33. The potential at a certain distance form a point charge is 600V and the electric field is 200N/C.
Find the distance of the point from the charge and the magnitude of the charge.
(3m, 2x10-7C)
34. The electric potential V(x) in a region along X-axis varies with distance x according to the relation
V(x) = 4x2. Find the force experienced by a 1C charge placed at point x = 1m. (8 x 10-6N)
35. Two point charges equal to +4C and +2C are 12cm apart. Find the amount of work done to
bring them closer by a distance of 3m. (0.2J)
36. Is electric flux a scalar or a vector quantity?
37. Vm is the unit of which physical quantity/
38. An electric dipole is placed inside a hollow conductor. Find the amount of flux emerging out of the
conductor.
39. What is the electric flux due to a dipole placed inside a cube?
40. A sensitive instrument has to be shielded from the atmospheric electric disturbances. Suggest a
possible way for this.
41. What do you mean by electrostatic shielding?
42. What is the principle of electrostatic shielding?
43. A rectangular frame of wire of 25cm x 15cm is placed in a uniform electric field of strength 2 x 104
N/C , such that the plane of the coil is normal to the field. Find the electric flux linked with the
frame. Also find the electric flux when the frame is converted into a square and a circle.
[ 750Nm2 C-1, 800Nm2 C-1, 1018.6Nm2 C-1 ]
44. Two large sheets of charge are placed parallel to each other with a separation of 2cm b/w them. An
electron starting from rest near on plate reaches the other plate in 2μs. (a) Find the surface charge
density of the sheets. (b) Find the surface charge density when the sheets are replaced by
conducting plates. [5.04 x 10-13 C/m2 , 2.52 x 10-13 C/m2 ]
45. If a small sphere of mass m and charge q hangs from a silk thread at angle θ with a charged
conducting plate, show that for equilibrium of the sphere the surface charge density of the plate is
mg
0 tan
q
46. A capacitor has two plates. How does a single conductor stores charge given to it.
47. On what factors the capacitance of an isolated conductor depend?
48. An uncharged conductor A is brought near another charged conductor B. What happens to the
charge and potential of conductor B.
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49. Why does the net capacitance increase when the capacitors are joined in parallel?
50. What is the function of dielectric medium in a capacitor?
51. The capacitance of a capacitor increases on inserting a dielectric medium b/w its plates. Is there
any material by the capacitance can be decreased?
52. What happens to the capacity of a capacitor on inserting a dielectric slab b/w its plates?
53. What happens to the capacity of a capacitor on inserting a conducting slab b/w its plates?
54. Why the circuits containing capacitors should be handled with care even when there is no current
in the circuit?
55. What are polar and non-polar molecules? Give examples.
56. Can a metal sphere of radius 1cm hold a charge of 1C?
57. A capacitor of 4F is connected to 400V supply. It is then disconnected and connected to an
uncharged capacitor of 2F. Find the common potential after the capacitors are connected together.
(266.67V)
58. A capacitor with initial capacitance C is modified by changing the dielectric medium b/w the plates
in following cases. Find the new capacitance in each case:
(i)

Area =A

K1
d
K2
 2 A 0  K1 K 2 
  
 d  K1 + K 2 
(iii)
Area =A

K1 K2 d
`
 A 0  K1 + K 2 
 d  2 

 
59. Find the equivalent
air capacitance of the following combination of capacitors b/w A and B if
C1 = 5μF, C2 = 10μF, C3 = 2μF, C4 = 4μF and C5 = 10μF
C1

C5 C2
A B
C3
[C = 4.67μF]
C4

60. Find the equivalent capacitance b/w A and B:

A
2μF

1μF 2μF
1μF

B
2μF
[ 2μF]

61. An electric technician requires a capacitance of 2F in a circuit across a potential difference of
1kV. A large no. of 1 F capacitors are available to him, each of which can withstand a potential

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 difference of not more than 400V. Suggest a possible arrangement that requires a minimum no. of
capacitors.
62. In the following figure, find the value of C if the total capacitance b/w A and B is 1μF.
C 1μF

8μF 6μF 4μF

12μF
12μ
2 μF 2μF
[ 1.39μF]
B

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4
 CURRENT ELECTRICITY
TOPICS:
1. Definition, unit , symbol of electric current, potential difference, direction of
electric current.
2. Ohm’s law, linear circuits, graph for ohm’s law, ohmic circuits.
3. Failure of ohm’s law.
4. Electric resistance, its definition, units, meaning ,cause and dependence.
5. Electric conductance, specific resistance/ resistivity, specific
conductance/conductivity(units/symbol, formulae).
6. Temperature dependence of resistivity for conductors, alloys and
insulators/semiconductors.
7. Electromotive force and terminal potential difference.
8. Internal resistance of a cell and its expression.
9. Grouping of cells in series and in parallel.

BRIEF REVIEW OF TOPICS:

ELECTRIC CURRENT: - The flow of charges in a conductor constitutes electric current. It is
denoted by I. It is defined as the charge flowing per second. Mathematically: I = charge/time =
q/t
* Electric current is a scalar quantity.
Direction of electric current: The direction of conventional current is taken as from the +ve to –
ve as compared to the direction of electronic current which is form –ve to +ve.
UNITS OF CURRENT:
SI unit of current is Ampere ( A ). As I = q/t  IA = C/s = Cs-1
C.G.S. unit of current is stat ampere (stat A ) I stat A = statC/s = stat Cs-1
Relation between SI. & C.G.S.:
1 ampere = 3  109 stat ampere. 1 A = 3109 stat A.
Dimensional formula for current : [M0L0T0A1]
* VOLTAGE / POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE:
The difference of potential across the two ends of a conductor is called the applied voltage or the
potential difference.
* Voltage is a scalar quantity, S.I. unit of voltage is Volt. (V)
* OHM’S LAW : It states that physical conditions (temperature, mechanical strain etc ) remaining
unchanged the current flowing through a conductor is always directly proportional to the potential
difference across its two ends. If V is the potential difference and I is the current then
V  I or V = IR
Where R = Constant of proportionality and is called electrical resistance. We can write R = V / I
FAILURE OF OHM’S LAW: (a)The non linear dependence of potential different on current.
(b) The relation between V and I may depend upon the sign of V.
© Current may decrease on increasing the potential difference.
* ELECTRIC RESISTANCE: It is the obstruction provided to the flow of electric current by the
conductor. We know that V = IR therefore R=V/I
Therefore the resistance is defined as the ratio of the applied voltage to the current flowing through
the conductor.* Resistance is a scalar quantity.
* UNITS OF RESISTANCE:S.I. unit of resistance is VA-1 = ohm ( Ω )
Cgs unit of resistance is stat ohm ( stat Ω)
CAUSE OF RESISTANCE: The electrons while traveling form one end to the other suffer
collisions with other atoms of the conductor. These collisions are inelastic. Due to which the K.E. of
electrons is reduced and the electrons slow down as a result of which the current decreases.
DEPENDANCE OF RESISTANCE: The resistance provided by a conductor is
(i) directily prop. to the length of the conductor i.e. R  l
(ii) inversely prop. to the area of cross-section of the conductor i.e. R  1 / A
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 * RESISTOR: A component which is used to control electric current in an electric circuit is called a
resistor.
GROUPING OF RESISTORS: To obtain the desired value of resistance, the resistors can be
grouped in two ways:
1. In Series: R = R1 + R2 + R3 .
Therefore the net resistance increases in series combination.
2. In parallel: 1 = 1 + 1 + 1
R R1 R2 R3
Which shows that the net resistance decreases in parallel combination.
CONDUCTANCE: It is the reciprocal of resistance of a material. It is denoted by G.
Mathematically: G = 1/R
Units of conductance: G = 1/R = 1/ohm = (ohm) –1
 Conductance depends upon length & area of cross-section.
RESISTIVITY : A s R = ρL/A where ρ = constant of prop and is called
resistively or specific resistance.
We can wirte : ρ = RA/L
Resistivity depends only on the nature of material and temperature, but it is independent of the length
or area of cross section of conductor.
Units of ρ : Ωm
CONDUCTIVITY: The reciprocal of resistivity of a material is called its conductivity or specific
conductance. It is denoted by σ
Mathematically:  = 1/ρ = 1/ Resistivity
Units:  = 1/ρ = 1 /m =-1m-1 or mho m-1
Like resistivity, the conductivity of a material does not depend upon its length or area of cross-section.
DRIFT VELOCITY: * The drift velocity may be defined as the velocity with which a free electron in
addition to its random motion gets drifted under the influence of an external field throughout the
body of the conductor.
Vd = eE τ
m

EXPRESSION FOR RRESISTANCE AND RESISTIVITY: :

R= ml ρ= m
n e2Aτ n e2τ

VARIATION OF RESISTIVITY WITH TEMPERATURE:

1. Conductors: In conductor the resistivity increases linearly with temperature
2. RESISTIVITY OF AN ALLOY: Alloys have very weak dependence on temperature for
resistivity.e.g. In case of manganin which is an alloy,the value of α is 0.00001 – 0 C. Due to
this low value of α, alloys are used in preparing standard resistance coils.
3. RESISTIVITY OF AN INSULATOR & SEMI-CONDUCTOR: The resistivity of an insulator
or a semi-conductor has an exponential dependence on temperature.

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 QUESTIONS
1. The electrons are accelerated from north to south. What is the direction of current?
2. What are the different cases in which ohm’s law fails?
3. Two wires one of copper and other of iron having same length have same resistance. Which is
thicker?
4. A wire is stretched to double its length. What will be its new resistance?
5. How does the resistance of a metal change when the temperature is increased?
6. A wire is stretched to three times its length. Find its new resistivity.
7. A wire is carrying current. Is it charged?
8. What is the effect of electric field on the drift velocity of free electrons?
9. When the temperature is increased, what happens to the no. of collisions, relaxation time,
resistance, drift velocity, current and to the resistivity of a metal?
10. What is the effect of increase in temperature on the resistivity of metals, alloys, semiconductors
and insulators?
11. Define the temperature coefficient of resistance and give its S.I. units.
12. What do you mean by superconductivity? What is its cause?
13. What do you mean by the e.m.f. and the poteatial difference of a cell?
14. Can the terminal potential difference be greater than the e.m.f.? In which case these two are
equal?
15. Does the e.m.f. represents a force?
16. What are Kirchhoff’s laws? How are the laws superior to ohm’s law?
17. What is junction rule?
18. What is loop rule?
19. Which of Kirchhoff’s law is based on the principle of conservation of charge?
20. Which of Kirchhoff’s law is based on the principle of conservation of energy?
21. Are Kirchhoff’s laws applicable to a.c. circuits?
22. What is a Wheatstone bridge?
23. State the working principle of Wheatstone bridge.
24. When is a Wheatstone bridge said to be balanced?
25. What is a slide wire bridge?
26. Why the slide wire bridge is also called meter bridge?
27. Why the wire used in meter bridge is made up of some alloy?
28. In which case the sensitivity of the meter bridge is maximum?

(NUMERICALS)
1. Find the number of electrons passing through a wire per second if the wire carries a current of
5A. (3.125 x1019.)
2. Calculate the resistance of a material of a wire of length 60cm and area of cross section
1mm2.The resistivity of the wire is 2.6x10-8 ohm m. (0.0156 ohm)
3. A wire is stretched to double its length. Find the increase in its (i) resistance and (ii) resistivity.
[(i) 3 times, (ii) no change)]
4. Find the current through a 6 ohm toaster which operates at 120V. (20A)
5. The equivalent resistance of two resistors when joined in series is 48 ohm and in parallel is 9
ohm. Find the value of each resistance. (12, 36 ohm)
6. Find the total resistance which can be obtained by combining three resistors of 100 ohm each in
all possible ways. (300,33.3,66.7,150)
7. Find the percentage change in the resistance of a copper wire which is stretched to 0.3%.
(0.6%)
8. A copper wire has a resistance of 15 ohm at 00C and a resistance of 25 ohm at 1000C. Find the
temperature coefficient of resistance. (6.67x10-30C-1)
9. The resistance in the left gap of a meter bridge is 10 ohm and the balance point is obtained at a
distance of 40 cm from the left end. Find the value of unknown resistance. ( 15 ohm)