MARS TUITION ACADEMY

PATHIRIPALA | LAKKIDI

XII (SCIENCE)
CHAPTER 1
ELECTRIC CHARGES AND FIELDS

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
1)There are two types of charges namely positive and negative.
a) List any two basic properties of electric charge?
Ans) Quantisation of charges , Additivity of charges , Conservation of charges
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b) Can a body have a charge of 0.8x10 C? Which basic property of electric
charge is the reason for your answer?
Ans) Q = ne
n = Q/e
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= 0.8x10 / 1.6x10
= 0.5
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Since n = 0.5 is not an integer, a body cannot possess a charge of 0.8x10 C.
This conclusion is based on the quantisation of charge

2) Electric charge is a __________ quantity

Ans) Scalar

3)What do you meant by Quantization of charges ?

Ans) The charge on a body in the universe must be an integral multiple of
charge of an electron

4)How many electrons constitute an electric charge of 1 C?

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Ans)
Given charge, q = 1 C
Charge of one electron, e = 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C
Number of electrons,
n = q/e
n = 1/(1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹)
n = 6.25 × 10¹⁸
Therefore, 6.25 × 10¹⁸ electrons constitute an electric charge of 1 C.

5)How does the mass of a body changes during charging?

Ans) During charging mass of a body also changes , because electron has a
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mass of 9.1 x 10 C

6) SI unit of electric charge ?

Ans) Coulomb (C)

7) Draw the electric field lines of ;

a) Isolated positive and charge
b) Isolated negative charge
c) Electric dipole
Ans) Discussed in the Class . Refer the notes

8)SI unit of Electric field intensity ?

Ans) N/C or V/m

9) A dipole placed in an uniform external electric field experiences

Ans) Rotational motion (torque)

10)A dipole placed in an non uniform electric field experiences

Ans) Rotational and Translational motion ( torque and force )

11) Relation between Eaxial and Eequatorial ?

Ans) Eaxial = 2xEequatorial

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12) Define Electric field Intensity ?
Ans) It is the force experienced on the test charge in an electric field

13)Can two electric field lines intersect ? Why ?

Ans) No . Electric field will have 2 direction at the point of meeting which is
impossible

14) SI unit of electric dipole moment ?

Ans) Cm

15) Define Electric flux . Write its equation and SI unit ?

Ans) It is the no of electric field lines passing normal to the surface
∮
Φ = E · dA
SI Unit: Nm²/C

16) During lightning a person inside a car is safer than outside . Why ?
Ans) This is due to electrostatic shielding , inside a the car electrostatic field
is zero

17) What do you meant by electrostatic shielding ?

Ans) Electric field inside the cavity of a conductor of any shape is zero . This
is called electrostatic shielding

18) State Coulomb’s Law

Ans)The electrostatic force between two point charges is directly
proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to
the square of the distance between

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19) Imagine that a charge Q is situated at the centre of a hollow cube. What is
the electric flux through one side of the cube?
Ans) ⅙ (Q/ϵ₀)

20) Write any 3 Properties of Electric Field Lines ?

Ans)
•For a single positive charge electric field line starting form that positive
charge and ends at infinity
• For a single negative charge electric field line starting form infinity and ends
on that negative charge
•Electric field lines are continuous smooth lines,they will not breaks at any
point
•Tangent drawn to the electric field line at any point give the direction of
electric field intensity at that point

21) What is electric dipole . Give examples?

Ans)An electric dipole is the pair of equal and opposite point charges (+q&-q)
are seprated by a small distance (2a)
Eg) NaCl , H2O

22) Define Dipole moment Write its SI unit. Also write its direction?
Ans) The dipole moment (P) is defined as the product of the charge (q) and
the distance (2a) between the charges
The direction of dipole moment is always from negative charge to positive
charge

P = q x 2a

SI Unit : Cm.

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23) State Gauss’s Law ?
Ans)The total electric flux through any closed surface is equal to 1/ε₀ times
the total charge enclosed by the surface.

∮ E·dS = Q/ε₀
23) What is meant by a Gaussian surface?
Ans)The surface which we choose for the application of Gauss’s law is called
Gaussian surface. It is an imaginary three dimensional surface enclosing the
charge.

24)A point charge of 2 μC is placed at the centre of a cubic Gaussian surface

of side 0.5 cm. What is the next flux through the surface?
Ans)
Q = 2 μC = 2 × 10⁻⁶ C
According to Gauss’s theorem,
Φ = Q/ε₀
Φ = (2 × 10⁻⁶)/(8.85 × 10⁻¹²)
Φ = 2.26 × 10⁵ N m² C⁻¹
∴ Net electric flux through the cubic surface = 2.26 × 10⁵ N m² C⁻¹

25)A closed surface encloses an electric dipole. What is the electric flux
through the surface?
Ans)Zero

26) What will happen when a dipole is placed in a uniform external electric
field?
Ans) In a uniform electric field there will be a net torque on the dipole, and
hence it rotates. But the net force will be zero.

27) What will happen when a dipole is placed in a non uniform external
electric field?
Ans) In a non uniform electric field the dipole experiences a net force as well
as a net torque. So there will be both translational and rotational motion.

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Numericals

1) What is the force between two small charged spheres having charges 2 x
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10 C and 3x 10 C placed 30 cm apart in air . What happens to this force
when placed in a medium of relative permittivity 2 .
Ans)
q₁ = 2 × 10⁻⁷ C
q₂ = 3 × 10⁻⁷ C
r = 30 cm = 0.3 m

F = (1/4πε₀)(q₁q₂/r²)
F = (9 × 10⁹)(2 × 10⁻⁷ × 3 × 10⁻⁷)/(0.3)²
F = (54 × 10⁻⁵)/0.09
F = 6 × 10⁻³ N
∴ Force in air = 6 × 10⁻³ N
In a medium,
Fₘ = (1/4πεₘ)(q₁q₂/r²)
But,
εₘ = εᵣε₀

Fₘ = (1/4πεᵣε₀)(q₁q₂/r²)
Fₘ = (1/εᵣ)(1/4πε₀)(q₁q₂/r²)
Fₘ = F/εᵣ
Fₘ = (6 × 10⁻³)/2
Fₘ = 3 × 10⁻³ N
∴ Force in the medium = 3 × 10⁻³ N.

2) Two charges +15μC and -15μC are separated by a distance of 1mm.

What is the dipole moment ?

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Ans)
q = 15 μC = 15 × 10⁻⁶ C
2a = 1 mm = 1 × 10⁻³ m
p = q(2a)
p = (15 × 10⁻⁶)(1 × 10⁻³)
p = 15 × 10⁻⁹ C m
p = 1.5 × 10⁻⁸ C m

∴ Dipole moment = 1.5 × 10⁻⁸ C m.

3)Two point charges qA= 3μC and qB= -3μC are located 20 cm apart in
vaccum
a) What is the electric field intensity at the mid point O of the line AB
joining of two charges
Ans)
qA = +3 μC = 3 × 10⁻⁶ C
qB = −3 μC = 3 × 10⁻⁶ C
AB = 20 cm = 0.2 m
Distance of midpoint O from each charge,
r = 10 cm = 0.1 m

Electric field due to qA at O,

E₁ = (1/4πε₀)(q/r²)
E₁ = (9 × 10⁹)(3 × 10⁻⁶)/(0.1)²
E₁ = 2.7 × 10⁶ N C⁻¹

Electric field due to qB at O,

E₂ = (1/4πε₀)(q/r²)
E₂ = 2.7 × 10⁶ N C⁻¹

Since O lies between a positive and a negative charge, both electric fields are
in the same direction (from + to −).

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Therefore,
E = E₁ + E₂
E = 2.7 × 10⁶ + 2.7 × 10⁶
E = 5.4 × 10⁶ N C⁻¹

∴ Electric field intensity at the midpoint O = 5.4 × 10⁶ N C⁻¹, directed from
the positive charge towards the negative charge.

4) The electrostatic force on a small sphere of charge 0.4μC to another small

sphere of charge -0.8μC in air is 0.2 N.
a) What is the distance between the two sphere ?
b) What is the force on second sphere due to first
Ans)
q₁ = 0.4 μC = 0.4 × 10⁻⁶ C
q₂ = −0.8 μC = 0.8 × 10⁻⁶ C
F = 0.2 N

a) Distance between the spheres

Using Coulomb’s law,
F = (1/4πε₀)(q₁q₂/r²)
0.2 = (9 × 10⁹)(0.4 × 10⁻⁶ × 0.8 × 10⁻⁶)/r²
r² = (9 × 10⁹ × 0.32 × 10⁻¹²)/0.2
r² = 0.0144
r = √0.0144
r = 0.12 m
∴ Distance between the spheres = 0.12 m = 12 cm

b) Force on the second sphere due to the first

According to Newton’s Third Law, the force on the second sphere due to the
first is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force on the first
sphere due to the second.
∴ Force on the second sphere = 0.2 N, directed towards the first sphere
(attractive force).

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Important Derivations

1. Obtain the equation for electric field due to a dipole along equatorial
line
2. .Derive the expression for torque acting on a dipole placed in a
uniform external field, at an angle θ with it.
3. .Derive the equation for electric field due to a dipole along the axial
line
4. Derive the equation for electirc field due to a uniformly charged
infinitely long wire
5. .Derive the equation for electric field due to a uniformly charged
infinite plane sheet
6. Derive the equation for electric field due to a uniformly charged
spherical shell.

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