Chapter - 1 ELECTRIC CHARGES AND FIELDS

Q.1 A spherical portion has been removed from a solid sphere having a charge distributed uniformly in its volume as shown in the figure. Is the electric field exist inside the emptied space of the sphere? (2 marks)

A.

Let us consider a uniformly charged solid sphere without any cavity. Let the charge per unit volume be s and O be the centre of the sphere. Now consider a uniformly charged sphere of negative charged density s having its centre at O. Also let OO be equal to a. Let us consider an arbitary point P in the small sphere. The electric field due to charge on big sphere

E1 =

s OP . 3e0 s PO' 3e0

Also the electric field due to small shpere E 2 =

O P a O'

s s OP + PO' = \ The total electric field E 2 = E 1 + E2 = 3e OO' 3e0 0

This will have a finite value which will be uniform. Q.2 Consider a neutral conducting sphere. A positive point charge is placed outside the sphere. What is the net charge on the sphere positive, negative or zero? (2 marks) A. When a positive point charge is placed outside a conducting sphere, a rearrangement of charge takes place on the surface. But the total charge on the sphere is zero as no charge has left or entered the sphere.

net charge = 0 + + + + +

+q

Q.3 If you place a free electron and a free proton in the same electric field, how will the forces acting on them compare? How will their accelerations compare ? Their directions of travel? (2 marks) A. When we place a free electron and a free proton in the same electric field, the same amount of force will act on both of them as both have equal amount of charge. But the forces on both of them will be in opposite directions. The acceleration of electron will be more than the acceleration of proton as electron has less mass than that of proton. Electron has negative charge, therefore, it will travel in a direction opposite to the electric field. But proton, having positive charge, will travel in the direction of the electric field.

Q.4 Two uniformly charged large plane sheets S 1 and S 2 having charge densities 1 and 2 (1 > 2 ) are placed at a distance d parallel to each other. A charge q 0 is moved along a line of length a(a < d) at an angle 45 with the normal to S 1 . Calculate the work done by the electric field. (2 marks)

A.

E1 =

1 E2 = 2 0 ; 0
1

S1 E2 E1 E a 45 a 2

S2

2 E = E1 E2 = 1 0

W = q0 E

a 2

q ( 2 )a W= 0 1 2 0
d

Q.5 Electric field on the axis of a small electric dipole at a distance r is E1 and E 2 at a distance 2r on the

A.

equatorial line. How are E1 and E 2 related to each other? Electric field on the axial line of a short dipole. (along P ) r3 Electric field on the equatorial line of a short dipole.

(2 marks)

E1 = K

2P

E2 = K
=

P r3
=

(opposite to P )

K P (2r) 3

KP 8r
3

K2P 16r3

E1 E2 = 16