Electrostatics
IMPORTANT FORMULAE IN ELECTROSTATICS
1. Electrostatic force between two charges
𝒒 𝒒 𝟏 𝒒 𝒒
𝑭 = 𝑲. 𝟏𝒓𝟐 𝟐 = 𝟒𝝅𝝐 𝝐 . 𝒓𝟏𝟐 𝟐
𝟎 𝒓
For air, 𝝐𝒓 = 𝟏
𝟏 𝒒 𝒒 𝒒𝟏 𝒒𝟐
Fair = 𝟒𝝅𝝐 . 𝟏𝒓𝟐 𝟐 = 𝟗 × 𝟏𝟎𝟗
𝟎 𝒓𝟐
→
2. Electric field intensity due to a point charge, ⃗𝑬 = 𝐥𝐢𝐦 𝒒𝑭
𝒒𝟎→𝟎 𝒐
3. Electric field intensity due to infinite linear charge density (λ)
𝟏 𝟐𝝀
𝑬 = 𝟒𝝅𝝐 .
𝟎 𝒓
4. Electric field intensity near an infinite thin sheet of surface charge density 𝝈
𝝈
𝑬 = 𝟐𝝐
𝟎
𝝈
For thick sheet = 𝝐 .
𝟎
𝒘
5. Electric potential, 𝑽 = 𝐥𝐢𝐦 𝒒
𝒒𝟎→𝟎 𝒐
𝟏 𝒒
Electric potential due to a point charge, 𝑽 = 𝟒𝝅𝝐 . 𝒓
𝟎
𝒅𝑽 𝑽
6. Relation between electric field and potential 𝑬 = − 𝒅𝒓 = 𝒓 (numerically)
7. Dipole moment, ⃗𝑷
⃗ = 𝒒. 𝟐𝒍
8. Torque on a dipole in uniform electric field, 𝝉
⃗ =𝒑 ⃗.
⃗ ×𝑬
⃗ . ⃗𝑬
9. Potential energy of dipole, ∪= −𝒑 ⃗ = −𝒑𝑬 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝜽
10. Work done in rotating the dipole in uniform electric field from orientation Q1 to Q2 is
𝑾 = 𝑼𝟐 − 𝑼𝟏 = 𝒑𝑬(𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝜽𝟏 − 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝜽𝟐 )
11. Electric field due to a short dipole
𝟏 𝟐𝒑
(i) at axial point, 𝑬𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒔 = 𝟒𝝅𝝐 . 𝒓𝟑
𝟎
𝟏 𝒑
(ii) at equatorial point, 𝑬𝟏 = 𝟒𝝅𝝐 . 𝒓𝟑
𝟎
12. Electric potential due to a short dipole
𝟏 𝒑
(i) At axial point, 𝑽𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒔 = 𝟒𝝅𝝐 . 𝒓𝟐
𝟎
(ii) At equatorial point, 𝑽 = 𝟎.
𝝐 𝑪𝒎𝒆𝒅
13. Dielectric constant, 𝑲 = 𝝐 =
𝟎 𝑪𝒂𝒊𝒓
14. Capacitance of parallel plate capacitor
𝑨𝝐𝟎 𝑲
(i) 𝑪= , in medium of dielectric constant K
𝒅
𝑨𝝐𝟎
(ii) 𝑪= 𝟏 ; if space between plate partially filled with dielectric of thickness t.
𝒅−𝒕(𝟏− )
𝑲
15. Combination of capacitors :-
𝟏 𝟏 𝟏 𝟏
(i) In series, 𝑪 = 𝑪 + 𝑪 + 𝑪 , 𝒒𝟏 = 𝒒𝟐 = 𝒒𝟑 , 𝑽 = 𝑽𝟏 + 𝑽𝟐 + 𝑽𝟑
𝟏 𝟐 𝟑
(ii) In parallel, C= 𝑪𝟏 + 𝑪𝟐 + 𝑪𝟑 , 𝒒 = 𝒒𝟏 + 𝒒𝟐 + 𝒒𝟑 , 𝑽𝟏 = 𝑽𝟐 = 𝑽𝟑 = 𝑽
16. Energy stored by capacitor
𝟏 𝑸𝟐 𝟏
∪= 𝟐 𝑪𝑽𝟐 = 𝟐𝑪 = 𝟐 𝑸𝑽
17. Electrostatic energy density
𝟏
𝝑𝒆 = 𝟐 𝝐𝟎 𝑬𝟐 , in air
𝟏
𝝑𝒆 = 𝟐 𝝐𝑬𝟐 , in medium
𝟏
⃗ . ⃗⃗⃗⃗
18. Total electric flux, 𝜱 = ∮ 𝑬 𝒅𝒔 = 𝝐 × 𝒏𝒆𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆
𝟎
NUMERICALS
LEVEL I
1. What is the charge acquired by a body when 1 million electrons are transferred to it?
2. An attractive force of 5N is acting between two charges of +2.0 μC & -2.0 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?
3. A charge of +3.0 x 10-6 C is 0.25 m away from a charge of -6.0 x 10-6C.
a. What is the force on the 3.0 x 10-6 C charge?
b. What is the force on the -6.0 x 10-6 C charge?
4. An electric dipole consist of a positive and a negative charge of 4µC each placed at a distance of
5mm. Calculate dipole moment.
5. Three capacitors of capacitances 2µF, 3µF and 4µF are connected in parallel. What is the equivalent
capacitance of the combination? Determine charge on each capacitor, if the combination is connected
to 100V supply?
6. An electric dipole with dipole moment 4x10-9C-m is aligned at 300 with direction of electric field of
magnitude 5x104N/C. Calculate the magnitude of the torque acting on the dipole.
7. A point charge of 2µC is at the centre of cubic Gaussian surface 9.0 cm in edge. What is the net
electric flux through the surface?
8. What is the amount of work done in moving a 200nC charge between two points 5 cm apart on an
equipotential surface?
9. How much work must be done to charge a 24 μF capacitor, when the potential difference between
the plates is 500 V?
[Link] is the equivalent capacity of the network given below?
LEVEL II
1. What is the work done in moving a charge of 100μC through a distance of 1cm along the equatorial
line of dipole?
2. The given graph shows that variation of charge q versus potential difference V for two capacitors C1
and C2. The two capacitors have same plate separation but the plate area of C2 is double than that of
C1. Which of the lines in the graph correspond to C1 and C2 and why?
3. Two point charges 5µC and – 4 µC are separated by a distance of 1 m in air. At what point on the
line joining the charges is the electric potential zero?
4. Two charges +5µC and +20µC are placed 15 cm apart. At what point on the line joining the two
charges is the electric field zero?
5. Two charges +16µC and −9µC are placed 8 cm apart. At what point on the line joining the two
charges is the electric field zero?
6. A 600 pF capacitor is charged by a 200 V supply. It is then disconnected and from the supply and is
connected to another uncharged 600 pF capacitor. How much electrostatic energy is lost in the
process.
7. Keeping the voltage of the charging source constant, what will be the percentage change in the
energy stored in a parallel plate capacitor if the separation between its plates were to be decreased by
10%.
8. Four charges are placed at the vertices of a square of side d as shown in the figure.(i) Find the work
done to put together this arrangement. (ii) A charge q0is brought to the center E of the square, the
four charges being held fixed at its corners. How much extra work is needed to do this?
9. If S1 and S2 are two hollow spheres enclosing charges Q and 2Q respectively as shown in the figure
(i) What is the ratio of the electric flux through S1 and S2?
(ii) How will the flux through the sphere S1 change, if a medium of dielectric constant 5 is filled in
the space inside S1.
10. A charge of 24μC is given to a hollow sphere of radius 0.2m. Find the potential
(i) at the surface of the sphere, and
(ii) at a distance of 0.1 m from the centre of the sphere.
(iii)at the centre
LEVEL III
1. A slab of material of dielectric constant has the same area as the plates of a parallel plate capacitor
but has a thickness 3d / 4, where d is the separation of the plates. How is the capacitance changed
when the slab is inserted between the plates?
2. A parallel plate capacitor with air between the plates has a capacitance of 8µF. What will be the
capacitance if the distance between the plates is doubled and the space between them is filled with a
substance of dielectric constant K=6?
3. Two dipoles, made from charges ±q and ±Q, respectively, have equal dipole moments. Give the (i)
ratio between the ‘separations’ of these two pairs of charges (ii) angle between the dipole axis of
these two dipoles.
4. The capacitors C1, and C2, having plates of area A each, are connected in series, as shown. Compare
the capacitance of this combination with the capacitor C3, again having plates of area A each, but
‘made up’ as shown in the figure.
5. A point charge +10μC is at a distance 5cm directly above the centre of a square of side 10cm as
shown in fig. What is the magnitude of flux through the square?
6. Calculate equivalent capacitance of the given network and determine the charge and voltage across each
capacitor.
7. Two identical charges, Q each are kept at a distance r from each other. A third charge q is placed on the line
joining the two charges such that all the three charges are in equilibrium. What is magnitude, sign and position
of the charge q?
8. ABCD is a square of side 5m. Charges of +50C, -50C and +50C are
placed at A,C and D respectively . Find the magnitude of resultant
electric field at B.
9. A cube with each side a is kept in electric field given by E = Cx as
shown in the figure where C is a positive dimensional constant. Find
(i) The electric flux through the cube, and
(ii) The net charge inside the cube.
10. Two parallel plate capacitor X and Y have same area of plates and
same separation between them. X has air between the plates whereas Y has a dielectric of constant k=4
(i) Calculate capacitance of each capacitor if equivalent capacitance is4 μF.
(ii) Calculate potential difference between the plates of X and Y.
(iii) What is the ratio of electrostatic energy stored in X and Y.
UNIT: I ELECTROSTATICS
ANSWERS
LEVEL I
1. Q = Ne 1.6 x10-13C
2. F=0
3. FAB = FBA=2.736N
4. P=2x10-8 C-m
5.
6. 10-4Nm
7. 2,26x105Nm2/C
8. W=0
9. W=3J
10. C=15µF
LEVEL II
1. 0
2. A
5
3. 𝑚 from 5µC charge
9
4. 5 cm from 5 µC charge
5. 24cm from -9 µC charge
6. 6x10-6 J
7. 11.11%
𝑞2
8. (4 − √2) , 0
4𝜋∈0
𝑄
9. 1: 3, ∅ =
5∈0
10. (i) 1.08x106V (ii) 1.08x106V (iii)1.08x106V
LEVEL III
4𝑘
1. 𝐶
𝑘+3 0
2. 24 µF
3. q a=Q A or a/A=Q/q θ = 0
4. C3= Ceq
5. 1.88x105Nm2/C
200
6. 𝑝𝐹,100 V, 50V, 50V, 200V,10-8C, 10-8C, 10-8C,2x10-8 C
3
7. Q/4, Positive, r/2
8. 2.7x1010N/C
9. a3C N-m2/C, a3C𝜖0 Coulombs.
10. Cx=5μF Cy= 20Μf