Electric Charges and Fields
Case Study Based Questions
Case Study 1
A charge is a property associated with the matter due to which it experiences and
produces an electric and magnetic fields. Charges are scalar in nature and they add
up like real numbers. Also, the total charge of an isolated system is always conserved.
When the objects rub against each other, charges acquired by them must be equal
and opposite.
Read the given passage carefully and give the answer of the following questions:
Q1. The cause of charging is:
a. the actual transfer of protons
b. the actual transfer of electrons
c. the actual transfer of neutrons
d. None of the above
Q2. When a glass rod is rubbed with silk, then:
a. negative charge is produced on silk but no charge on glass rod
b. equal but opposite charges are produced on both
c. equal and similar charges are produced on both
d. positive charge is produced on glass rod but no charge on silk
Q3. If an object is positively charged theoretically, the mass of the object:
a. remains the same
b. increases slightly by a factor of 9.11 × 10-31 kg.
c. may increase or decrease
d. decreases slightly by a factor of 9.11 x 10-31 kg.
Q4. We have two bodies with charges q₁ and q₂ on them, then q₁ + q₂ = 0 signify:
a. q₁ and q₂ are equal charges with opposite signs
b. q₁ and q₂ are equal charges with same signs
c. q₁ and q₂ are not equal charges
d. q₁ and q₂ are equal charges.
Q5. The cause of quantisation of electric charges is:
a. transfer of an integral number of neutrons
b. transfer of an integral number of protons
c. transfer of an integral number of electrons
d. None of the above.
Solutions
1. (b) the actual transfer of electrons
The cause of charging is the actual transfer of electrons from one body to the other.
2. (b) equal but opposite charges are produced on both
When glass rod is rubbed with silk, glass rod loses electrons and silk grabs them. So,
after rubbing, glass becomes positively charged and silk becomes negatively charged.
Thus, equal but opposite charges are produced on both.
3. (d) Decreases slightly by a factor of 9.11 × 10-31 kg.
When an object is positively charged, it loses some of its electrons. The mass of an
electron is 9.11 x 10-31 kg, so the positively charged body loses electrons and its mass
decreases by a factor of 9.11 × 10-31 kg.
4. (a) q₁ and q₂ are equal charges with opposite signs
q₁ + q₂ = 0, signifies that the net charge on the system is zero. This is possible only if
q₁ and q₂ are equal but opposite in signs.
5. (c) transfer of an integral number of electrons.
The electric charges are said to be quantised when they exist in discrete amount
rather than continuous value.
Case Study 2
Coulomb's law states that the electrostatic force of attraction or repulsion acting
between two stationary points charges is given by
Read the given passage carefully and give the answer of the following questions:
Solutions
Case Study 3
Animals emit low frequency electric fields due to a process known as osmoregulation.
This process allows the concentration of ions (charged atoms or molecules) to flow
between the inside of our bodies and the outside. In order for our cells to stay intact,
the flow of ions needs to be balanced. But balanced doesn't necessarily mean equal.
The concentration of ions within a shrimp's body is much lower than that of the sea
water it swims in. Their voltage or potential difference generated between the two
concentrations across 'leaky' surfaces, can then be measured.
Read the given passage carefully and give the answer of the following questions:
Q1. The Gaussian surface for ions in the body of animals:
a. can pass through a continuous charge distribution
b. cannot pass through a continuous charge distribution
c. can pass through any system of discrete charges
d. can pass through a continuous charge distribution as well as any system of discrete
charges
Q2. Gauss's law is valid for:
a. any closed surface
b. only regular close surfaces
c. any open surface
d. only irregular open surfaces
Q3. The electric field inside a shrimp's body of uniform charge density is:
a. zero
b. constant different from zero
c. proportional to the distance from the curve
d. None of the above
Q4. If a small piece of linear isotropic dielectric is swallowed by a shrimp and inside
the body it is influenced by an electric field E, then the polarisation P is:
Q5. Field due to multiple charges/ions inside shrimp's body at a point is found by
using:
(i) superposition principle
(ii) Coulomb's law
(iii) law of conservation of charges
Choose the correct answer:
a. (i) and (ii)
b. (ii) and (iii)
c. (i) and (iii)
d. (i), (ii) and (iii)
Solutions
1. (a) can pass through a continuous charge distribution
2. (a) any closed surface
3. (a) zero
4. (d) directly proportional to E
5. (a) (i) and (ii)
Case Study 4
When electric dipole is placed in uniform electric field, its two charges experience
equal and opposites forces, which cancel each other and hence net force on electric
dipole in uniform electric field is zero. However, these forces are not collinear, so they
give rise to some torque on the dipole. Since, net force on electric dipole in uniform
electric field is zero, so no work is done in moving the electric dipole in uniform
electric field. However, some work is done in rotating the dipole against the torque
acting on it.
Read the given passage carefully and give the answer of the following questions:
Solutions
4. Net force is zero and torque acts on the dipole, trying to align p with E.
5. Zero.
Case Study 5
Read the given passage carefully and give the answer of the following questions:
Q1. What is the value of E in the outer region of the first plate ?
Q2. What is the value of E in the outer region of the second plate ?
Q3. What will be the value of E between the plates ?
Q4. What is the ratio of E from right side of B at distances of 2 cm and 4 cm,
respectively ?
Q5. In order to estimate the electric field due to a thin finite plane metal plate, what is
the shape of the Gaussian surface ?
Solutions
Solutions for Questions 6 to 15 are Given Below
Case Study 6
Case Study 7
Case Study 8
Case Study 9
Case Study 10
Case Study 11
Case Study 12
Case Study 13
Case Study 14
Case Study 15
6.
7.
8.
10.
11.
9.
12.
13. 15.
14.
