ELECTROSTATIC POTENTIAL

VERY SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. Consider the situation of Fig . The work done in taking a point charge from P to A is WA, from P to
B is WB and from P to C is WC. What is the relation between WA, WB and WC ?

2. We know that electric field is discontinuous across the surface of a charged conductor. Is electric
potential also discontinuous there ?
3. Can electric potential at any point in space be zero while intensity of electric field at that point is not
zero?
4. 5 J of work is done in moving a positive charge of 0.5 C between two points. What is the potential
difference between these points ?
5. Deduce dimensional formula of potential difference.
6. In a certain 0.1 m3 of space, electric potential is found to be 5V throughout. What is the electric field
in this region ?
7. What is the work done in moving 2µC point charge from corner A to corner B if a square ABCD,
when a 10 µC charge exists at the centre of the square ?
8. A charge of 2 C moves between two plates maintained at a potential difference of 1 volt. What is the
energy acquired by the charge ?
9. What is the work done in moving a charge 40 nC between two points on an equipotential surface ?
10. Write an expression for potential V ( ) at a point due to two point charges q1 and q2 at r1 and r2
respectively.
11. Does the electric potential increase or decrease along the electric line of force ?
12. Is electric potential at any point in space necessarily zero if intensity of electric field at that point is
zero?
13. Define electric potential at a point in an electric field.
14. What is the shape of the shape of the equipotential surfaces for an isolated point charge ?
15. What is the shape of the equipotential surfaces for a uniform electric field ?
16. No work is done in moving test charge over an equipotential surface. Why ?
17. What is the amount of work done in moving a 200 nC charge between two points 5 cm apart on an
equipotential surface ?
18. How much work is done in moving a 500 µC charge between two points on an equipotential
surface ?
19. The safest way to safeguard from the lightening is to be inside a car. Comment.
20. What will be the electrostatic potential energy of the dipole, when placed at right angle to the field ?

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. Will there be any effect on the potential at a point if the medium around this point is charged ?

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2. It requires 50 µJ of work to carry a 2 µC charge from point R to S. What is the potential difference
between these points ? Which point is at a higher potential ?
3. Devise an arrangement of three point charges separated by finite distances that has zero electric
potential energy.
4. A circle is drawn with centre as a charge + q. What is the work done in moving a charge + q from B
to C along the circumference of the circle? (Fig)

5. In the previous question, if the charge +q is first taken from B to A and then form A to C, on which
path will more work be done ?
6. A hollow metal sphere of radius a is charged with electricity to a potential V and the total amount
of charge given is q.
Answer the following questions:-
(i) What is the electric field intensity at a point inside the sphere?
(ii) What is the charge density on the internal surface of the sphere?
(iii) What is the electric field intensity at a point just outside the sphere?
(iv) What is the electric potential at a point distant r from the center
(r<a i.e., the point is inside the sphere?)

7. Fig shows a metallic solid sphere placed in a uniform electric field. Which path is followed by the
lines of force ? Also, comment on the change of potential along X-axis.

8. If a point charge be rotated in a circle of radius r around a charge q, what will be the work done and
why ?
9. Distinguish between electric potential and potential energy and state the relation between these.
10. When kept in an electric field, does a proton move from lower to higher potential or from higher to
lower potential region ?
11. Show that the amount of work done in moving a test charge along the equipotential surface is zero.
12. Give two properties of equipotential surface.
13. No two equipotential surfaces intersect each other. Why ? Explain.
14. Draw one equipotential surface (i) in a uniform electric field and (ii) for a point charge (Q<0).
15. Why the electric field is always at right angles to the equipotential surface ? Give reasons.
16. What is an equipotential surface? Show that the electric field is always directed perpendicular to an
equipotential surface.
17. The electric potential is constant in a region. What can you say about the electric field there ?

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18. Give the dependence of electrostatic potential due to a small electric dipole at a far off point lying
on the (i) axial line and (ii) equatorial line.
19. What is electron volt? Express it in joule.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. The electric potential in some region of space is given by : V = a+bx2 , Where V is in volt, x is in
meter, a and b are positive constants. What is the dimensional formula of constant a? What is in
the given region ?
2. Figure (a) and (b) show the field lines of a single positive and negative charge respectively.

(a) Give the signs of the potential difference, V P – VQ ; VB – VA.

(b) Give the sign of the potential energy difference of a small negative charge between the points Q
and P ; A and B.
(c) Give the sign of the work done by the field in moving a small positive charge from Q to P.
(d) Give the sign of the work done by an external agency in moving a small negative charge from B
to A.
(e) Does the kinetic energy of a small negative charge increase or decrease in going from B to A?
3. Show that if at some part of a field, the lines of force have the form of arcs of concentric circles
whose centres are at point O, the field intensity at each point in this part of the field should be
inversely proportional to the distance from the point to O (Fig )

4. A point charge q is placed at O as shown in Fig . Is VA – VB positive, negative or zero, if q is a (i)

positive charge (ii) negative charge ? Justify your answer

5. The following data was obtained for the dependence of the magnitude of electric field, with
distance, from a reference point O, within the charge distribution in the shaded region.

Field A B C A` B` C`
Point
Magnitude of electric field E E/8 E/27 E/2 E/16 E/54
(i) Identify the charge distribution and justify your answer.

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 (ii)
If the potential due to this charge distribution, has a value V at the point , what is its value at
the point A’ ?
6. Four point charges are placed at four corners of a square in the two ways (i) and (ii) as shown
below. Will the

(i) Electric field (ii) Electric potential, at the centre of the square, be the same or different in the
two configuration and why ?
7. Consider a long conductor, the middle point of which is earthed. If the potential difference across
the two ends of the conductor is 220 V, then what is the potential at the ends and at middle point ?
8. Is it possible for a metal sphere of radius 1cm to hold a charge of one coulomb ?
9. A small sphere of radius r1 and charge q1 is enclosed by a spherical shell of radius r2 and charge q2.
Show that if q1 is positive, charge will necessarily flow from the sphere to the shell (when the two
are connected by a wire), no matter what the charge q2 on the shell is.
10. How can you show from physical arguments that for an electrical conductor in equilibrium, its
surface must be an equipotential surface ?
11. The electrostatic field due to a point charge depends on the distance r as similarly indicate how
each of the following quantities depends on r ?
(a) Intensity of light from a point source, (b) Electrostatic potential due to a point charge and (c)
Electrostatic potential at a distance r from the center of a charged metallic sphere of radius r<R.
12. Electric charge is distributed uniformly on the surface of a spherical rubber balloon, Show the value
of electric intensity and potential vary (i) on the surface, (ii) inside and (iii) outside ?

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. Derive a scalar relation between electric field intensity and potential gradient at a point in the
electric field.

2. Prove that electric field intensity is independent of the distance from an infinite sheet of charge.

3. Derive an expression for the potential energy of an electric dipole placed in a uniform electric field.

4. Derive an expression for the electric potential at a point due to an electric dipole. Hence from the
expression, calculate the electric potential when the point is:
(a) on the axial line of electric dipole.
(b) on the equatorial line of electric dipole.

5. Derive an expression for the electrostatic potential energy of a system of two point charges and find
its relations with electric potential of a charge.

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6. Define electric potential of a charge at a point and derive an expression for it.