Electric potential and capacitor

1. (a) What is potential and potential difference?

(b) Derive the expression of potential at a distance r from (i) a point charge q and (ii) a
dipole of dipole moment p.
(c) What is the difference between electric potentials of a dipole and a single point charge?
(d) Plot the electric potential with r due to uniformly charged thin spherical cell.

2. (a) A charge of 5µC is given to a hollow metallic sphere of radius 10cm. Find the potential at
the surface of the sphere and at a distance of 5cm from the center of the sphere.
(b) Two charges 3µC and -2µC are located at 15cm apart. At what point the electric potential
is zero on the line joining the two charges.
(c) Twenty seven drops of small size are charged at 220 volt each. They coalesce to form a
bigger drop. Calculate the potential of the bigger drop.
(d) Two point charges +2q and -2q are placed at points A and B separated by a distance r.
Calculate the potential difference between the points A and B.
(e) Calculate the potential at the center of a square of side √2m due to charges 2µC, -2µC, -
3µC and 6µC at four corners of it.

3. (a) What is the relation between electric field and potential?

(b) What is equipotential surface? Show that electric field is perpendicular at all points in
equipotential surface.
(c) Draw equipotential surface when (i) positive and positive (ii) positive and negative charges
of equal magnitude are separated by a distance d.
(d) What is electric potential energy? Deduce the expression of potential energy of a system
of two point charges q1 and q2 separated by a distance r.
(e) What is the expression of electrostatic potential energy of (i) a system of two charged
particle of charges q1 and q2 separated by a distance r and (ii) a dipole of dipole moment p.

4. (a) Calculate the work done to dissociate the system of three charges q, 2q and -4q placed at
the vertices of an equilateral triangle of side 10 cm. Where q equal to 1.6×10-10C.
(b) Calculate the voltage needed to balance an oil drop carrying ten electrons when located
between the plates of a capacitor which are 5mm apart. The mass of the oil drop is 3×10-16 kg
and small 𝑔 = 10 ms-2.
(c) If the potential in the region of space around the point (-1m, 2m, 3m) is given 𝑉 = 10𝑥 2 +
5𝑦 2 − 3𝑧 2 volt. Calculate the electric field at this point.
(d) An electric field 𝐸⃗ = 20𝑖̂ − 30𝑗̂ NC-1 exist in free space. If the potential at the origin is
zero then determine the potential at point (-2m, 2m).
(e) Figure-1 show some equipotential surface. What can you say about the magnitude and the
direction of electric field?
(f) An electric dipole consists of two opposite charges each of magnitude 1µC separated by
2cm. The dipole is placed in an external electric field of 105 N/C. Find the maximum torque
exerted by the field on the dipole and the work done against the external field to turn the dipole
in unstable equilibrium from stable equilibrium.
5. (a) What is the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor of plate area A and separation between
the plates is d.
(b) Derive an expression for the equivalent capacitance in both cases series and parallel
combination of capacitors.
(c) Derive an expression for the energy stored in the capacitor. Show that the total energy is
additive in both cases series and parallel combination of capacitors.
(d) What is energy density of an electric field of strength E.
6. (a) Find the energy stored in the electric field produced by a metal sphere of radius R containing
a charge Q.
(b) A capacitor of capacitance 6µF is charged to a potential of 150V. Its potential falls to 90V
when another capacitor is connected to it. Find the capacitance of the second capacitor and the
amount of energy loss due to the connection.
(c) Figure 2 shows the network consisting of three capacitor and one battery the energy Store
in the 6µF capacitor is U. Find the energy store in 12µF capacitor and 3µF capacitor. What is
the total energy drawn from the battery.
(d) The connections shown in Fig-3 are established with the switch S open. How much charge
will flow through the switch if it is closed?
(e) Find the equivalent capacitances of the combinations shown in Figs. 4 between the
indicated points.
(e) Find the potential difference V between the points a and b shown in the Fig. 5.
(f)* Find the equivalent capacitances of the combinations shown in Figs. 6 between the
indicated points.

7. (a) What is dielectric material? What are polar and non-polar dielectric molecule? Define
polarization and dielectric constant.
(b) Define susceptibility? Deduce the relation between dielectric constant and susceptibility.
(c) Explain how capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor changes in presence of dielectric
material in between its plate.
(d) What is corona discharge?
(e) A slab of dielectric constant k has the same area as the plates of a parallel plate capacitor
but has a thickness 3d/4, where d is the separation of the plates. How is the capacitance changed
when the slab is inserted between the plates?
(f) Find the capacitances of the capacitors shown in Fig. 7. The plate area is A and the
separation between the plates is d. Different dielectric slabs in a particular part of the figure
are of the same thickness and the entire gap between the plates is filled with the dielectric slabs.
(g) A parallel-plate capacitor of plate area A and plate separation d is charged to a potential
difference V and then the battery is disconnected. A slab of dielectric constant K is then inserted
between the plates of the capacitor so as to fill the space between the plates. Find the work
done on the system in the process of inserting the slab.
(h)* A capacitor is formed by two square metal-plates of edge a, separated by a distance d.
Dielectrics of dielectric constants K1 and K2 are filled in the gap as shown in Fig. 8. Find the
capacitance.
(i)* Consider an assembly of three conducting concentric spherical shells of radii a, b and c as
shown in Fig. 9. (i) Find the capacitance of the assembly between the points A and B. (ii)
Suppose the space between the two inner shells is filled with a dielectric of dielectric constant
K. Find the capacitance of the system between A and B.
Fig. 1 Fig. 2

Fig. 4
Fig. 3

Fig. 5 Fig. 6

Fig. 7

Fig. 8
Fig. 9