CHAPTER 02
Electrostatic
potential &
capacitance
Work done
• Work done by external forces in moving a
charge q from R to P is against electrostatic
repulsive force is,
P P
W RP Fex .dr FE .dr
R R
( Fex FE )
• This work done is against electrostatic
repulsive force and gets stored as potential
energy.
• The potential energy difference,
ΔU = UP - UR = WRP
• The work done by an electrostatic field in
moving a charge from one point to another
depends only on the initial and the final points
and is independent of the path taken to go
from one point to the other.
ELECTROSTATIC POTENTIAL
• Work done by external force in bringing a unit
positive charge from point R to P is called the
potential difference.
U P U R W RP
VRP VP VR
q q
where VP and VR are the electrostatic potentials
at P and R, respectively.
• The electrostatic potential (V) at any point in a
region with electrostatic field is the work done
in bringing a unit positive charge from infinity
to that point.
V = W/q
Potential due to a Point charge
r r
Qq 1
W Fdr dr
4 0 r
2
r r
Qq 1 Qq
dr
2
dr r
4 0 r
2
4 0
1 r
Qq r Qq 1 1
4 0 1 4 0 r
1 Qq
4 0 r
W 1 Qq 1
V
q 4 0 r q
1 Q
4 0 r
Potential due to an Electric dipole
1 q q
V
4 0 r1 r2
r1 PB PD r a cos
r2 PA PC r a cos
1 q q
V
4 0 r a cos r a cos
q r a cos r a cos
4 0 r a cos r a cos
q 2a cos
4 0 r 2 a 2 cos 2
1 p cos
4 0 r 2 a 2 cos 2
1 p cos 1 p.rˆ
when r a , V r2
4 0 r 2
4 0
At axial po int (cos 0),
1 p
V
4 0 r 2 a 2
At equatorial po int (cos 90),
V 0
On the axis (cos 0, a 0),
1 p
V
4 0 r 2
Potential due to a System of charges
V V1 V2 V3 .... Vn
1 q1 q2 q3 qn
....
4 0 r1 p r2 p r3 p rnp
1 n qi
4 0 i 1 rip
EQUIPOTENTIAL SURFACE
• Surface with a constant value of potential at all points
on the surface. That means, potential at every point
will be V = k q/r
• Equipotential surfaces of a single point charge are
concentric spherical surfaces centred at the charge.
The electric field lines for a single charge q are radial
lines starting from or ending at the charge, depending
on whether q is positive or negative.
• The electric field at every point is normal to the
equipotential surface passing through that point.
OR Equipotential surface through a point is normal
to the electric field at that point
• There is no potential difference between any two
points on the surface and no work is required to
move a test charge on the surface. (Work done in
moving a charge in a equipotential surface is zero)
Relation between field and potential
Consider two closely spaced equipotential surfaces A and B
with potential values V and V + δV
δl is the perpendicular distance of the surface A from P
W=VA-VB
E δl =V-(V + δV)= - δV
E= - δV / δl
(i) Electric field is in the direction in which the
potential decreases steepest.
(ii) Its magnitude is given by the change in the
magnitude of potential per unit displacement
normal to the equipotential surface at the
point.
Potential energy of system of charges
Consider two charges q1 and q2 with position vector r1
and r2 relative to some origin.
Suppose, first the charge q1 is brought from infinity to the
point r1 . There is no external field against which work
needs to be done, so work done in bringing q1 from
infinity to r1 is zero.
Work done in bringing charge q2 from infinity to the point
r2 is q2 times
1 qthe potential at r2 due to q1 (V12),
V12 1
4 0 r12
W V12 q2
1 q1q2
U
4 0 r12
• Consider a system of three charges q1 , q2 and
q3 located at r1 , r2 , r3 , respectively.
To bring q1 first from infinity to r1 , no work is
required.
work done to bring q2 from infinity to r2 is,
1 q1q2
W1 V1 q2
4 0 r12
Potential produced by q1 and q2 on q3 is,
1 q1 q2
V12
4 0 r13 r23
Work done next in bringing q3 from infinity to
the point r3 is q3 times V12 at r3,
1 q1 q2
W2 q3V12 q3
4 0 r13 r23
1 q1q3 q2 q3
4 0 r13 r23
Total work done on the system is,
W W1 W2
1 q1q2 1 q1q3 q2 q3
4 0 r12 4 0 r13 r23
1 q1q2 q1q3 q2 q3
4 0 r12 r13 r23
POTENTIAL ENERGY IN AN EXTERNAL FIELD
Potential energy of a single charge
Potential energy of q at r in an external field,
U = W= qV
Potential energy of a system of two charges in an
external field
work done in bringing the charge q1 from infinity to r1,
W1= q1V1
Next, we consider the work done in bringing q2 to r2 . In
this step, work is done not only against the external
field E but also against the field due to q1
Work done on q2 against the external field,
= q2 V2
Work done on q2 against the field due to q1,
1 q1q2
4 0 r12
1 q1q2
So, W2 q2V2
4 0 r12
Total Workdone ,
1 q1q2
U W W1 W2 q1V1 q2V2
4 0 r12
Potential energy of a dipole in an external field
In a uniform electric field, the dipole
experiences no net force; but experiences a
torque. τ = p× E
Suppose an external torque ext τ is applied in
such a manner that it just neutralises this torque
and rotates it in the plane of paper from angle
θ0 to angle θ1 at an infinitesimal angular speed
And without angular acceleration. The amount
of work done by the external torque is:
1
W ex d
0
1
pE sin d
0
1
pE sin d
0
pE cos 0 cos 1
taking 0 900 and 1
W pE cos 900 cos
pE cos p. E
• For stable equilibrium, θ = 0
cos θ = 1, Umin = - pE
• For unstable equilibrium, θ = 180
cos θ = -1, Umax = + pE
ELECTROSTATICS OF CONDUCTORS
Conductors: materials which allow the flow of
electric charge. In electrostatics, conductors are
always equipotential surfaces.
Charge always resides on the outer surface.
Properties of conductors:
• Inside a conductor, electrostatic field is zero
• At the surface of a charged conductor, electrostatic
field must be normal to the surface at every point
• The interior of a conductor can have no excess
charge in the static situation
• Electrostatic potential is constant throughout the
volume of the conductor and has the same value
(as inside) on its surface
• Electric field at the surface of a charged conductor,
E nˆ
0
where, n is the unit vector normal to the surface in
outward direction. σ is surface charge density.
σ >0 field is normal to the surface outward and σ
<0 inward direction.
• Electrostatic shielding
Whatever be the charge and field configuration
outside, any cavity in a conductor remains
shielded from outside electric influence: the
field inside the cavity is always zero. This is
known as electrostatic shielding.
This is the method of protecting a certain region
from the effect of electric field by surrounding
it with a conducting box or keeping it inside a
cavity. What ever the configuration of E and q,
E inside the cavity will be zero.
Dielectrics and polarisation
• Dielectric are non conducting substances. In contrast to conductors they
have no or negligible number of charge carriers.
• In a dielectrics the free movement of charges is not possible. It turns out
that the external field induces dipole moment by stretching or re
orienting molecules of dielectric.
• The collective effect of all the molecular dipole moment is not charges
on the surface of the dielectric which produces a field that opposes the
external field.
On the basis of their behaviour in external field dielectric star two types,
1. In non polar molecule, the centre of positive and negative charges
coincide. The molecule have no permanent dipole moment. Example
O2 H2 etc.
2. The polar molecule is one in which the centres of positive and negative
charges are separated even when there is no external field. Sach
molecules have a permanent dipole moment. example HCL H2O etc.
• The dielectric in which the induced dipole moment is
in the direction of field and these proportional to the
field strength is called linear isotropic dielectrics.
• When a polar or nonpolar dielectric develop a net
dipole moment in the presence of external electric
field the dipole moment per unit volume is called
polarization and is denoted by p.
• For linear isotropic dielectric, p = χeE
χe is a constant characteristics of dielectric is known as
electric susceptibility of dielectric medium.
• When dielectric lab is placed inside the electric field,
then due to polarization every volume element ΔV of
slab has dipole moment pΔV in the direction of the
field
Capacitor
• Capacitor is the device used to store electric charge.
• It is made up of two isolated
conductors of equal charges
placed at a small separation.
• Potential diff, V = V2 – V1
• V is the work done per unit positive charge in taking
a small test charge from the conductor 2 to 1
against the field. Consequently, V is also
proportional to Q, and the ratio Q/V is a constant
called capacitance
• Capacitance is the ability of a capacitor to
store electric charge (Q),
C=Q/V (Q α V, Q = CV)
• C is independent of Q or V
• Depends on, geometrical configuration
(shape, size, separation) of the system of two
conductors.
Also, it depends on the nature of the insulator
(dielectric) separating the two conductors
• The SI unit of capacitance is farad (F =1
coulomb volt-1).
• A capacitor with fixed capacitance is
symbolically shown as --||--, while the one
with variable capacitance is shown as:
• Dielectric strength: the maximum electric field
that a dielectric can withstand without
breakdown.
THE PARALLEL PLATE CAPACITOR
A parallel plate capacitor consists of two large plane
parallel conducting plates separated by a small
distance. We first take the intervening medium b/w the
plates to be vacuum.
Let A be the area of each plate
and d the separation between
them. The two plates have charges
Q and –Q.
In the inner region between the plates 1 and 2,
the electric fields due to the two charged
plates add up,
Q
E E1 E 2
2 0 2 0 0 A 0
Qd
V Ed
A 0
Q A 0 0 A
C Q
V Qd d
EFFECT OF DIELECTRIC
When a dielectric of dielectric constant K is
applied in b/w the plates of capacitor, electric
potential between plates:
V0 Qd 1
V
K A 0 K
Q 0 A
C K C 0 K
Then, V d
ε = Kε0
0 KA A
C
d d
ε is the permittivity of the medium.
• K = ε/ ε0 = C / C0
• That is in a dielectric medium,
C = K C0
V= V0/ K
E = E0 / K
Combination of Capacitors
Series combination:
Q = Q1 = Q2= … = Qn
V = V1 + V2 + V3+…
= Q/C1 + Q/C2 + … + Q/Cn
V/Q = 1/C1 + 1/C2+ … + 1/Cn
1/C = 1/C1 + 1/C2+ … + 1/Cn
For two capacitors,
1/C = 1/C1 + 1/C2
C = C1C2 / (C1+C2)
In parallel combination,
V = V1 = V2 = … = Vn
Q = Q1 + Q2 + … + Qn
CV = C1V+ C2V+ … +Cn V
C = C1 + C2 + C3+ …. +Cn
For two capacitors,
C = C1 + C2
Energy stored in a capacitor
Consider the intermediate situation
when the conductors 1 and 2 have
charges Q’ and –Q’ respectively. At
this stage, the potential difference V’
between conductors 1 to 2, V’ =
Q’/C.
Next imagine that a small charge dQ’ is
transferred from conductor 2 to 1.
Work done in this step (d W),
resulting in charge Q’ on conductor 1
increasing to Q’+ d Q’, is given by
Q'
dW V ' dQ ' dQ '
C
Q Q
Q' 1 Q'
2
Q2
W dQ '
0
C C 2 0 2C
(Q CV )
Q 2 (CV )2 1 2 1
W CV QV
2C 2C 2 2
Q2 1 2 1
ie , W CV QV
2C 2 2
0 A
Q A , C ,E
d 0
Energy stored in the capacitor ,
Q2 1 d
U W ( A)
2
2C 2 0A
1 2 2 d
A
2 0 A
1
0 E 2 Ad
2
1
0 E 2 Volume
2
U 1
Energy density , u 0 E 2
Volume 2
I. C
II. V = kQ/r, kQ = Vr
Q1/Q2 = tanθ1 / tanθ2 = tan 60/tan 30 = 3
iii. D
iv. Dipole moment,p = q*2a = 3.2 * 2.4 * 10(-
29)
Or
iv. Torque = pE = 2*1*2* 10(-7)
ii. c
iii. Total C in parallel, Ceq = C+2C = 3C
total initial charge = Q+0= Q
V’ = Q / 3C = V/3
iv. Initially Q total = Q+0 = Q
V final V’ = Q total/ Ceq = Q/3C
Q’ = CV’ = C * Q/3C
ΔQ= Q – Q’ = Q – Q/3 = 2Q/3
Or
iv. V = Q/C, when d incre. C decre. So, V incre.