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CHAPTER 2 – Electrostatic potential and capacitance

PHYSICS DERIVATIONS

1. ELECTRIC POTENTIAL DUE TO A POINT CHARGE:-

Consider a positive point charge q placed at the origin O. We wish to
calculate its electric potential at a point P at distance r from it, as shown
in figure.

Suppose a test charge is placed at point A at distance from O. By

Coulomb’s law, the electrostatic force acting on charge is

The force ⃗ acts away from the charge q. The small work done in moving
the test charge from A to B through small displacement ⃗⃗⃗⃗⃗ against
the electrostatic force is:-
⃗⃗⃗⃗

The total work done in moving the charge from infinity to the point P
will be
∫ ∫ ∫

∫ [ ]

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 [ ]

Hence work done in moving a unit test charge from infinity to the point P,
or the electric potential at point P is

or

2. ELECTRIC POTENTIAL AT AN AXIAL POINT OF A DIPOLE:-

As shown in figure, consider an electric dipole consisting of two point

charges –q and +q and separated by distance 2a. Let point P be on the
axis of the dipole at a distance r from its centre O.
Electric potential at point P due to the dipole is

[ ]
( ) ( )
[ ]

Or [ ]
For a short dipole,
, so

3. ELECTRIC POTENTIAL AT AN EQUITORIAL POINT OF A DIPOLE:-

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Consider an electric dipole consisting of charges –q and +q and separated
by distance 2a. Let P be a point on the perpendicular bisector of the dipole
at distance r from its centre O.

Electric potential at point P due to the dipole is

√ √

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4. ELECTRIC POTENTIAL DUE TO SYSTEM OF CHARGES:-

As shown in the figure above, suppose N point charges

lie at distances from a point P.

Electric potential at point P due to charges is

Similarly, electric potentials at point P due to other charges will be
, ,……,

As electric potential is a scalar quantity, so the total potential at point P

will be equal to the algebraic sum of all the individual potentials,

[ ]

5. ELECTRIC POTENTIAL DUE TO A UNIFORMLY CHARGED THIN

SPHERICAL SHELL:-

(a) When the point lies outside the shell:

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 [for r> R]

(b) When point P lies on the surface of the shell:

[for r = R]
(c) When point P lies inside the shell:
[for r < R]

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6. POTENTIAL ENERGY OF A SYSTEM OF TWO POINT CHARGES:-
Suppose a point charge is at rest at a point in space, as shown in
the figure below:

It takes no work to bring the first charge because there is no field yet
to work against.

Electric potential due to charge at a point at distance from

will be

If charge is moved in from infinity to point , the work required is

As the work done is stored as the potential energy of the system

( ), so

7. POTENTIAL ENERGY OF A DIPOLE PLACED IN A UNIFORM

ELECTRIC FIELD:-

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As shown in figure, consider an electric dipole places in a uniform electric
field ⃗ with its dipole moment ⃗ making an angle with the field.
Two equal and opposite forces +q⃗ and -q⃗ act on its two ends. The two
forces form a couple.
The torque exerted by the couple will be

Where q x 2a = p, is the dipole moment.

If the dipole is rotated through a small angle d against the torque acting
on it, then the small work done is

The total work done in rotating the dipole from its orientation making an
angle with the direction of the field to will be

∫ ∫

[ ] ( )
This work done is stored as the potential energy U of the dipole.
( )
Also, ⃗ ⃗⃗

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