Electrostatics Previous Years’ Questions (Year-wise)
2024
Very Short Answer Type Questions (1 Mark)
1. Draw the pattern of electric field lines when a point charge (-Q) is kept near an uncharged conducting plate.
2. One end of a copper wire is connected to a neutral pith ball and the other end to a negatively charged plastic
rod. What will be the charge acquired by the pith ball?
Long Answer Type Questions (3 Marks)
3. An electric dipole is held in a uniform electric field.
(i) Using suitable diagram, show that it does not undergo any translatory motion.
(ii) Derive an expression for the torque acting on it and specify its direction.
4. Two large parallel thin metallic plates are placed close to each other. The plates have surface charge densities of
opposite signs and of magnitude (20 x 10 -12 C/m2). Calculate the electric field intensity:
(i) in the outer region of the plates, and
(ii) in the interior region between the plates.
5. Use Gauss’s law to derive an expression for the electric field between two uniformly charged large parallel
sheets with surface charge densities +σ and -σ respectively.
6. Using Gauss’s law, derive an expression for the electric field intensity at any point outside a uniformly charged
thin spherical shell of radius (R) and charge density σ C/m2). Draw the field lines when the charge density of the
shell is: (i) positive (ii) negative
7. Derive an expression for the electric field due to a dipole of length (2a) at a point distant (r) from the centre of
the dipole on the axial line.
Long Answer Type Questions (5 Marks)
8. (a) Derive an expression for the electric field at any point on the axial line of an electric dipole.
(b) Two identical point charges, each (q), are kept 2 m apart in air. A third point charge (Q) of unknown
magnitude and sign is placed on the line joining the charges such that the system remains in equilibrium.
Find the position and nature of (Q).
Electrostatics Previous Years’ Questions (Year-wise)
2023
Long Answer Type Questions (3 Marks)
9. Four point charges (Q, q, Q) and (q) are placed at the corners of a square of side ‘a’ as shown in the figure.
Find:
(a) resultant electric force on a charge (Q), and
(b) potential energy of this system.
10. (a) Three point charges (q, -4q) and (2q) are placed at the vertices of an
equilateral triangle ABC of side (l) as shown in the figure. Obtain the
expression for the magnitude of the resultant electric force acting on the
charge (q).
(b) Find out the amount of work done to separate the charges at infinite distance.
Long Answer Type Questions (5 Marks)
11. (a) Define electric flux. Is it a scalar or a vector quantity?
A point charge (q) is at a distance of (d/2) directly above the centre of a
square of side (d), as shown in the figure.
Use Gauss’s law to obtain the expression for the electric flux through the
square.
(b) If the point charge is now moved to a distance ‘d’ from the center of the
square and the side of the square is doubled, explain how the electric flux
will be affected.
12. (a) Use Gauss’s law to derive the expression for the electric field E due to a straight uniformly charged infinite
line of charge density λ C/m.
(b) Draw a graph to show the variation of (E) with perpendicular distance (r) from the line of charge.
(c) Find the work done in bringing a charge (q) from perpendicular distance (r1) to (r2), r2 > r1.
Electrostatics Previous Years’ Questions (Year-wise)
2022 (Compartment)
Long Answer Type Questions (3 Marks)
13. Define electric flux and write its SI unit. The electric field component in the figure shown are:
(Ex = α x, Ey = 0, Ez = 0) where α = 100, N/Cm). Calculate the charge within the cube, assuming (a = 0.1, m).
14. An electron falls through a distance of 1.5 cm in a uniform electric field of magnitude (2.0 x 104, N/C). Calculate
the time it takes to fall through this distance starting from rest.
If the direction of the field is reversed, keeping its magnitude unchanged, calculate the time taken by a proton to
fall through this distance starting from rest.
2021
Very Short Answer Type Questions (1 Mark)
15. Does the charge given to a metallic sphere depend on whether it is hollow or solid? Give reason for your
answer.
Long Answer Type Questions (3 Marks)
16. (a) Derive the expression for electric field at a point on the equatorial line of an electric dipole.
(b) Depict the orientation of the dipole in: (i) stable equilibrium (ii) unstable equilibrium
in a uniform electric field.
17. (a) Obtain the expression for the torque τ experienced by an electric dipole of dipole moment p in a uniform
electric field E.
(b) What will happen if the field is non-uniform?
18. A long charged cylinder of linear charge density (+λ1) is surrounded by a hollow coaxial conducting cylinder of
linear charge density (-λ2). Use Gauss’s law to obtain expressions for the electric field at a point:
Electrostatics Previous Years’ Questions (Year-wise)
(i) in the space between the cylinders, and (ii) outside the larger cylinder.
19. Define electric flux. Write its SI unit. Using Gauss’s law, deduce an expression for electric field intensity due to
an infinitely long straight uniformly charged wire.
20. Using Gauss’s law in electrostatics, deduce an expression for electric field intensity due to a uniformly charged
infinite plane sheet. If another identical sheet is placed parallel to it, show that there is no electric field in the
region between the two sheets.
Long Answer Type Questions (5 Marks)
21. (a) Derive an expression for the electric field (E) due to a dipole of length (2a) at a point distant (r) from the
centre of the dipole on the axial line.
(b) Draw a graph of (E) versus (r) for (r >> a).
(c) If this dipole were kept in a uniform external electric field (E0), diagrammatically represent the position of
the dipole in stable and unstable equilibrium and write the expressions for the torque acting on the dipole in
both the cases.
22. (a) Use Gauss’s theorem to find the electric field due to a uniformly charged infinitely large plane thin sheet
with surface charge density (+σ).
(b) An infinitely large thin plane sheet has a uniform surface charge density (+σ). Obtain the expression for the
amount of work done in bringing a point charge (q) from infinity to a point distant (r), in front of the charged
plane sheet.