Panday Tutorial

1.(a) (i) Two-point charges -2nC and +2nC are placed at points (3cm,0,0) and (-3cm,0,0) respectively.
A
An external electric field E = 2 N/C. where electric field is switched on in the region.
r
Calculate the change in electrostatic energy of the system due to the electric field.

(ii) A system of two conductors is placed in air and they have net charge of 80µC and -80µC which
causes a potential difference of 16 V between them.

(1) Find the capacitance of the system.

(2) If the air between the capacitor is replaced by a dielectric medium of dielectric constant 3, what
will be the potential difference between the two conductors?

(3) If the charges on two conductors are changed to 160µC and -160µC will the capacitance of the
system change?

Give reason for your answer.

2. b) (i) Consider three metal spherical shells A, B and C, each of radius R. Each shell is having a
concentric metal ball of radius R/10. The spherical shells A, B and C, are given charges +6Q, -4Q
and 14Q respectively. Their inner metal balls are also given charges -2Q, +8Q and -10Q, respectively.
Compare the magnitude of the electric fields due to shells A, B and C, at a distance 3R from their
centres.

(ii) A charge -6q is placed at the centre of a semicircle of radius 5 cm, as shown in the figure. An
equal and opposite charge +6q is placed at point D at a distance of 10 cm from B. A charge +4q is
moved from point ' C ' to point ' A ' along the circumference. Calculate the work done on the charge.

3. (i) Draw equipotential surfaces for an electric dipole.

(ii) Two-point charges q1 and q2 are located at r1 and r2 respectively in an external electric field E.
Obtain an expression for the potential energy of the system.

(iii) The dipole moment of a molecule is 10⁻30Cm. It is placed in an electric field 105 V/m such that its
axis is along the electric field. The direction of is suddenly changed by 60° at an instant. Find the
change in the potential energy of the dipole, at that instant.

4.(i) A thin spherical shell of radius has a uniform surface charge density. Using Gauss' law, deduce an
expression for electric field (i) outside and (ii) inside the shell.

(ii) Two long straight thin wires AB and CD have linear charge densities 20nC/mm and -10nC/mm,
respectively. They are kept parallel to each other at a distance 1 m. Find magnitude and direction of
the net electric field at a point midway between them.
straight wire with uniform linear charge density 𝜆.
5. (a) (i) Use Gauss' law to obtain an expression for the electric field due to an infinitely long thin

(ii) An infinitely long positively charged straight wire has a linear charge density 𝜆. An electron is
revolving in a circle with a constant speed v such that the wire passes through the centre, and is

magnitudes of its charge and linear charge density 𝜆 on the wire.

(iii) Draw a graph of kinetic energy as a function of linear charge density 𝜆.

OR

(b) (i) Consider two identical point charges located at points (0,0) and (a,0).

(1) Is there a point on the line joining them at which the electric field is zero?

(2) Is there a point on the line joining them at which the electric potential is zero?

Justify your answers for each case.

(ii) State the significance of negative value of electrostatic potential energy of a system of charges.

Three charges are placed at the corners of an equilateral triangle ABC of side 2m as shown in figure.
Calculate the electric potential energy of the system of three charges.

6. (i)Figure shows variation of Coulomb force F acting between two-point charges with 1/r2, r being
the separation between the two charges (q1, q2) and (q1, q3). If q2 is positive and least in magnitude,
then arrange the magnitudes of q1, q2 and q3 in the increasing order.

(ii) A 500 µC charge is at the centre of a square of side 10 cm. Find the work done in moving a charge
of 10 µC between two diagonally opposite points on the square.
(iii) A point charge Q is placed at point O as shown in the figure. Is the potential difference VA –
VB positive, negative or zero, if Q is
(i) positive
(ii) negative?

7. (i)A charge ‘q’ is moved from a point A above a dipole of dipole movement ‘p’ to a point B below
the dipole in equatorial plane without acceleration. Find the work done in the process.

(ii) Two uniformly large parallel thin plates having charge densities + σ and – σ are kept in the X-Z
plane at a distance ‘d’ apart. Sketch an equipotential surface due to electric field between the plates.
If a particle of mass m and charge q’ remains stationary between the plates, what is the magnitude
and direction of this field?

(iii) Two small identical electrical dipoles AB and CD, each of dipole moment ‘p’ are kept at an angle
of 120° as shown in the figure. What X’ is the resultant dipole moment of this combination? If this
system is subjected to electric field (

8.(i) Figure shows two identical capacitors C1 and C2, each of 2 µF capacitance, connected to a battery
of 5 V. Initially switch ‘S’ is left open and dielectric slabs of dielectric constant K = 5 are inserted to fill
completely the space between the plates of the two capacitors. How will the charge and

(ii) A test charge ‘q’ is moved without acceleration from A to C along the path from A to B and then
from B to C in electric field E as shown in the figure.
(a) Calculate the potential difference between A and C.
(b) At which point (of the two) is the electric potential more and why?

(iii) Draw a plot showing the variation of

9.(i) A parallel plate capacitor of capacitance C is charged to a potential V. It is then connected to

(ii) Two-point charges q1 and q2 are located at r1and r2 respectively in an external electric field.
Obtain the expression for the total work done in assembling this configuration.

(iii) Two closely spaced equipotential surfaces A and B with potentials V and V + δV, (where δV is the
change in V), are kept δl distance apart as shown in the figure.

Deduce the relation between the electric field and the potential gradient between them. Write the
two important conclusions concerning the relation between the electric field and electric potentials.

10.(i) Two parallel plate X and Y capacitors, X and Y, have the same area of plates and same
separation between them. X has air between the plates while Y contains a dielectric medium of ε r =4.
(a) Calculate capacitance of each capacitor if equivalent capacitance of the combination is 4μF.
(b) Calculate the potential difference between the plates of X and Y.
(c) What is the ratio of electrostatic energy stored in X and Y?

(ii) A parallel plate capacitor is charged by a battery. After some time, the battery is disconnected and
a dielectric slab of dielectric constant K is inserted between the plates. How would
(a) the capacitance,
(b) the electric field between the plates and
(c) the energy stored in the capacitor, be affected? Justify your answer.

(iii) Two thin concentric shells of radii r1 and r2 (r2 > r1) have charges q1 and q2. Write the expression
for the potential at the surface of inner and outer shells.

11.(i) Consider two conducting spheres of radii R1 and R2 with R1 > R2. If
the two are at the same potential, the larger sphere has more charge
than the smaller sphere. State whether the charge density of the
smaller sphere is more or less than that of the larger one.
(ii) Two metallic spheres of radii R and 2 R are charged so that both of
these have same surface charge density, σ. If they are connected to
each other with a conducting wire.
(a)calculate charge on each sphere after connecting by wire.
(b)in which direction will the charge flow and why?