CHAPTER PRACTICE PROBLEMS

TOPIC: ELECTROSTATICS-1
CBSE
Very Short Answer Type Question (One Mark Each)
1
What kind of charges is produced on each, when (i) a glass rod rubbed with silk and (ii) an ebonite rod is rubbed
with wool?
2
An ebonite rod held in hand can be charged by rubbing with flannel but a copper rod cannot be charged like
this. Why?
3
What does q1 and q2 0 signify in electrostatics?
4
What is the least possible value of charge?
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Can a body have a charge of 0.8 1019 C? Justify your answer by comment?
Name the experiment, which established quantum nature of electric charge.
Sate two properties of electric charge.
State Coulombs law in electrostatics.
Give the SI unit of electrical permittivity of free space.
Define dielectric constant of a medium.
Electrostatic force between two charges is called central force. Why?
If the distance between two equal point charges is doubled and their individual charges are also doubled, what
would happen to the force between them?
Is electric field intensity a scalar or a vector quantity Give its SI units.
The test charge used to measure electric field at a point should be vanishingly small. Why?
A point charge q is placed at the origin. How does the electric field due to the charge vary with distance r from
origin?
Draw the lines of force to represent a uniform electro field
Why two electric lines of force cannot intersect each other?

Short Answer Type Question (Two or Three Marks Each)

1
A comb run through ones dry hair attracts small bits of paper why? What happens, If the hair is wet or if it is a
rainy day?
2
Ordinary rubber is an insulator. But the special rubber tyres of aircrafts are made slightly conducting. Why is
this necessary?
3
Vehicles carrying inflammable materials usually have metallic ropes touching the ground during motion. Why?
4
In filling the gasoline tank of an aero plane, the metal nozzle of the hose from the gasoline truck is always
carefully the nozzle is inserted in the tank. Explain, why
5
Why can one ignore quantization of electric charge, when dealing with macroscopic i.e large scale charges?
6
It is now believed that protons and neutrons are themselves built out of more elementary units
Called quarks. A proton and neutron consist of three quarks each. Two types of quarks, so called up quark
denoted by u of charge 2 e / 3 and the down quark denoted by d of charge e/3. Together with electrons
build up ordinary matter. Suggest a possible quark composition of a proton and neutron.
7
When a glass rod is rubbed a silk cloth, charges appear on both. A similar phenomenon is observed with many
other pairs of bodies. Explain, how this observation is consistent with law of conservation of charge.
8
A glass rod rubbed with silk is brought close to two uncharged
metallic spheres in contact with each other uncharged charges
on them as shown in fig. describe what happens, when (i) the
spheres are slightly separated, (ii) the glass rod is subsequently
removed and finally (iii) the spheres are separated far apart

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Can a charged body attract another uncharged body? Explain.

Can two balls having same kind of charge on them attract each other? Explain
Force of attraction between two point electric charges placed at a distance d in a medium is F. What distance
apart should these be kept in the same medium, so that force between them becomes F/3?
Bring out a comparison between the nature of electrostatic and gravitational forces.
A bird perches on a bare high-power line and nothing happens to the bird. A man standing on the ground
touches the same line and gets a fatal shock. Why?
The test charge used to measure electric field at a point should be vanishingly small. Why?
Fig. Shows tracks of three charged particles crossing a uniform
electrostatic field with same velocities along horizontal. Give
the signs of the three charges. Which has the highest charge to mass ratio?
What is electric line of force? What is its importance?
An electrostatic line of force is a continuous curve i.e. a line of force.
Cannot have sudden breaks. Why not?
State the principle of superposition and use it to obtain the expression for the total electric force exerted
at a point charge due to an assembly of n discrete point charges.
State principle of superposition of charges. Hence, express the force on a charge q due to a discrete
distribution of n charges in terms of their position vectors.
Distinguish between linear, surface and volume charge density. Obtain expression for force on a charge q due to
continuous distribution of charge over a volume.
Explain the concept of electric field.
Derive an expression for electric field intensity at a point at distance r from a point electric charge.
Explain the properties of electric lines force.

Long Answer Type Question ( 5 Marks Each)

1
State Coulombs law in electrostatics. Express it in vector form. What is importance of expressing it in vector
form?
2
Obtain expressions for electric field due to (i) a point charge and (ii) a continuous distribution of charges along a
line.
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CHAPTER PRACTICE PROBLEMS

TOPIC: ELECTROSTATICS-2
CBSE
Very Short Answer Type Question (One Mark Each)
1
What is the work done by the field of a nucleus in a complete circular orbit of the electron? What, if the orbit
2C
elliptical?
B
A
2
What is the work dong in moving a 2 C point charge from corner
A to corner B of a square ABCD fig. when a 10 C charge exists at
10 C
the centre of square?

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Work done in moving a test charge between two point in an electric field is
D
C
independent of the path followed. Comment
If a point charge be rotated in circle of radius r around a charge q, what will be work done any why?

The intensity of an electric field inside a capacitor is E . Calculate

the work needed to move a charge a charge q along a closed
rectangular path ABCD fig.
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

O
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E
D

(ii) Negative charge

VA

VB

Define electric potential at a point. When kept electric field does a proton move from lower to higher potential
or from higher to lower potential region?
Two point charges +q and q are separated by a distance d. where beside d. where beside at infinity is the
electric potential zero?
What is an equipotential surface? Give two properties of equipotential surface.
Show that the amount of work done in moving a test charge along the equipotential surfaces is zero.
Why the electric field is always at right angles to the equipotential surface? Give reasons.
No two equipotential surfaces intersect each other. Why? Explain
Draw one equipotential surfaces (i) in a uniform electric field and (ii) for a point charge (Q<0)
Two charges 2 C and -2 C are placed at points A and B p cm apart.
Give the SI unit of electric dipole moment.
What is the direction of electric dipole moment vector of an electric dipole?
Is it correct to write the unit of electric dipole moment as m C?
Does are electric dipole always experience a torque, when placed in a uniform electric field?
What is the net force on an electric dipole in a uniform electric field corresponds to its stable equilibrium?
What orientation of an electric dipole in a uniform electric field corresponds to its stable equilibrium?
What is an ideal electric dipole?
The distance of the field point on the equatorial plane of a small electric dipole is halved. By what factor will
the electric field due to the dipole change?
Define intensity of electric field at a point. At what points is the electric dipole field intensity parallel to the
line joining the charges?

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A system has two charges 2.5 107 C and qB 2.5 10 7 C located at the points A

0, 0, 15cm and B 0, 0, 15cm . What is the total charge and electric dipole moment?

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Show mathematically that the potential at a point on the equatorial line of an electric dipole is zero.
What do you mean by potential energy of an electric dipole, when placed in electric field?

Short Answer Type Question (Two or Three Mark Each)

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2

Show that the work done in moving a unit charge along a closed path is zero
Define electric potential. Deuce an expression for the electric potential at a point at distance r from a point
charge a 0

Define potential gradient. Obtain the relation between electric field and potential gradient at a point in the
electric field.
4
Derive an expression for the total work done in rotating an electric dipole through an angle in a uniform
electric field.
5
Find an expression for electric intensity due to a short electric dipole at any point situated along a line inclined
at an angle to the dipole axis.
Long Answer Type Question (Five Mark Each)
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3

Show that the line integral of electric field intensity between any two points depends only on the position of
these points and is independent of the path followed between tease points.
Obtain an expression for the electrostatic potential at a point in a space due to an electric dipole
consisting of charges + q at 0,0, a/2 and q 0,0, -a/2

Obtain expression for potential energy of the configuration of three charges. Hence, generalize the result for a
system of n point charges.
What is meant by potential energy of an electric dipole, when placed in an external electric field? Show that the

potential energy U of an electric dipole moment P in a uniform field E is given by U p.E

Prove that for a short dipole, the intensity at a point on the axial line is twice that on the equatorial line.

CHAPTER PRACTICE PROBLEMS

TOPIC: ELECTROSTATICS-3
CBSE
Very Short Answer Type Question (One Mark Each)
1.
What do you understand by electric flux?
2.
State Gauss theorem in electrostatics.
3.
A box encloses an electrical dipole consisting of charge 5 C and 5 C and of length 10 cm.
What is the total electric flux through the box?
4.
What is the use of Gaussian surface?
5.
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10.
11.
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15.
16.

If Coulombs law involved 1 / r dependence (instead of 1 / r ), would Gauss law be still true?
Does the strength of electric field due to an infinite plane sheet of charge depend upon the distance of the
observation point from the sheet of charge?
Is there any electric field inside a charged conductor?
What is meant by capacitance? Give its SI unit.
What is capacitor?
What meaning would you give to the capacitance of a single conductor?
Can we give any desired amount of charge to a capacitor?
On what factors does the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor with dielectric depend?
In what form is the energy stored in a charged capacitor?
What is dielectric?
The dielectric constant of a conductor can be taken to be infinitely large, infinitely small or optimum. Which of
the three alternatives is correct?
Define dielectric constant in terms of the capacitance of a capacitor.

In a parallel plate capacitor, the capacitance increases from 4 F to 80 F on introducing a

medium between the plates. What is the dielectric constant of the medium?
18.
Why the Van de Graff generator is enclosed inside an earth connected steel tank filled with air
pressure?
Short Answer Type Question (Two or Three Mark Each)
1
Is electric flux a scalar or a vector? Give the SI unit of electric flux
17.

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dielectric
under

An area S is held inside an electric field E, such that normal to the area S subtends angle with the direction of
electric field. What is the electric flux with the surface area?
A conductor A with a cavity as shown in fig. is given a charge Q.
Show that the entire charge Q. show that the entire charge must
appear on the outer surface of the conductor.
If in the SAQ, another conductor B with charge q is inserated into
the cavity keeping B insulated from A fig. Show that the total charge
on the outside surface of the conductor A is Q+q
A and B are two conducting spheres of same radius, A being solid and B
hollow. Both are charged to the same potential. What will be the relation
between the charges on the two spheres?
A sensitive instrument is to be shielded from the strong electrostatic field in its suggest a possible way.
Is it possible to transfer all the charge from a conductor another insulated conductor?
A metal of radius of 1 cm can not hold a charge of 1 coulomb. Why?
Two metallic spheres of same radii, one solid and the other hollow are charged to the same potential. Which
of the two will hold more charge? Give reasons.
Why is not possible to make a spherical conductor of capacity one farad? Explain
n small drops of same size are charged to V volt each. They coalesce to form a bigger drop.
Calculate the potential of the bigger drop.

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Fig, Shows the variation of voltage V across the plates of two capactiors
A and B versus increase of charge Q stored on them. Which of the two
capactiors has higher capacitance? Give reason for you answer.

13

State Gauss theorem in electrostatics. How will you prove it for spherically symmetric
Q
surfaces?
State Gauss theorem. How Coulombs law can be derived from it?
Sate Gauss theorem in electrostatics. Using this theorem, derive an expression for the electric field of an

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infinitely long line of charge having a uniform charge density C m

State Gauss theorem in electrostatic and express it mathematically. Using it, derive an expression for electric
field intensity at a point near a thin infinite plane sheet of electric charge
State Gauss theorem in electrostatic. Using this theorem , drive an expression for the electric field intensity
2
due to an infinite plane sheet of charge of charge density C m

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(a) Define the term electric flux. State its units. (b) A sphere
another concentric sphere
and

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S2

of the radius

r2 r2 r1

S1

of radius

r1

enclosed a charge

Q. If there is

and there be no additional charges between

S 2 find the ratio of electric flux through S1 and S2

S1

0
Define capacitance. Give its units. Show that the capacitance of an insulated spherical conductor is
times the radius of the spherical conductor
What is capacitor? Explain its principle
What are the factors on which capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor depends? Give the corresponding
relation.
Define capacitance of a capacitor. Derive an expression for the capacitance of a parallel plate
Capacitance

C , C and C

3 are connected in series. Derive an expression for the equivalent

There capacitors 1 2
capacitance.
What is the resultant capacitance, when a number of capacitors are connected in parallel? Derive the
expression for it.

Q2
Prove that stored in a parallel plate capacitor can be expressed by the relation 2C

Derive a relation for the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor with dielectric slab of thickness t filled
between the plates.

Long Answer Type Question (Five Mark Each)

1
Explain the principle of a capacitor.
2
Explain the action of a capacitor
3
With the help of a labeled diagram, explain the construction of Van de Graff generator.
4
Derive an expression for the energy sotred in a parallel plate capacitor. A parallel plate capacitor with air as
dielectric is charged by a D.C source to a potential V without disconnecting
the with air as dielectric is
charged by a D.C source to a potential V without disconnecting the capacitor from the source, air is
replaced by another dielectric medium of dielectric constant 10 State with reasons, how does (i) electric
field between the plates and (ii) energy stored in the capacitor charge.
5

Derive the expression for the energy stored in a charged capacitor. Show that there is always a loss of energy

on connecting the two charged capacitors having capacitances 1 2 and potentials 1 , 2 .

State Gauss theorem in electrostatics. Apply this theorem to calculate the electric field due to a solid sphere of
charge at a point (a) outside the sphere (b) on the sphere and (c) inside the sphere.

C ,C