Electrostatics assignment

1) A certain charge Q is to be divided into two parts q and Q-q. What is the relationship between Q and
q if the two parts, placed a given distance apart, are to have a maximum repulsion?

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2) A particle having a charge of 2.0 x 10 C is held fixed on a horizontal table. A second charged
particle of mass 10 gm stays in equilibrium on the table at a distance of 10 cm from the first charge.
The coefficient of friction between the second charge and the table is 0.2. Find the range within which
the charge of the second particle may lie.

3) Two equal positive point charges are held a fixed distance 2a apart. A positive point test charge is
located in a plane which is normal to the line joining these charges and midway between them.

a) Calculate the radius r of the circle of symmetry in this plane for which the force on the test charge
has a maximum value.
b) What is the direction of this force?

4) Three small balls, each of mass 10 gm, are separated from a common point by silk threads, each 1.0
m long. The balls are identically charged and hang at corners of an equilateral triangle 0.1 m long on
a side. What is the charge on each ball?

5) A thin glass rod is bent into a semicircle of radius R. A charge +Q is uniformly

distributed along the upper half and a charge -Q is uniformly distributed along the lower
half, as shown below. Find the electric field at P, the centre of the semicircle. P

6) A thin wire ring of radius R has electric charge q uniformly distributed over it. A point
charge q0 is now placed at its center. What is the increase in the tension in the wire?

7) A thin straight rod of length 2a carrying a uniformly distributed charge q is located in vacuum. Find the
magnitude of electric field as a function of distance r from the rod’s center along the straight line

a) perpendicular to the rod and passing through its center. Investigate the expression as r>>a
b) along the direction of the rod (at point lying outside it). Investigate the expression as r>>a

8) A thread carrying a uniform charge λ per unit length has configurations shown
in the figures (a) and (b). Assume that the radius of curvature of the bent
circular parts is much less than the length of the thread. Find the magnitude of
electric field at the center of the bent part. In figure (a) circular part is quarter
circle, in (b) it is semi-circle.
(a) (b)
9) Consider an electric field which varies only along the X axis, E(x). A dipole p of
small dimensions is lying on the X axis. Show that the force acting on the dipole, due to the electric
dE
field, is given by p
dx
10) In the charge configuration shown, estimate the electric field at -Q
a
point P. The triangle is equilateral with edge length a. Hint: Use
+2Q a
the fact that dipoles are vectors and can be added as such. •P
r >> a
a
11) Given an electric dipole and polar angle , determine the -Q
positions at which its electric field is perpendicular to .

12) A dipole with moment is located at distance from a long thread with uniform charge density . Find
the force vector acting on the dipole if vector is oriented:
a) Along the thread
b) Along vector
c) At right angles to the thread and position vector

13) An electric field (N/C) exists in a region of space. Distances are given in meters. Calculate
the potential difference where the points A and B are given by

a) A(0,0), B(4,2)
b) A(4,2), B(6,5)
c) A(0,0), B(6,5)
d) Do you find any relation between the answers of parts (a), (b) and (c)?

14) Charges +q and -2q are fixed a distance d apart, as shown.

a) Plot the electric potential along the line AC taking origin A +q -2q C
at point B d B
d
b) Plot the corresponding graph for magnitude of electric
field. Indicate the values at points A, B and C
c) Sketch roughly the lines of force.

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15) In the rectangle shown, the sides have lengths 5.0 cm and 15.0 cm, q1=-5.0 x 10 q1 A
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C and q2=+2.0 x 10 C. Assume the charges to be fixed.

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a) How much work is involved in moving a third charge q3=3.0 x 10 C from B to
A along the diagonal of the rectangle? B q2
b) In this process, is external work converted into electrostatic potential energy or
vice versa? Explain. y
A B
16) A charged particle of mass m and charge q enters a region ABCD with velocity
r 0.5 m
v0 where electric field varies as E  E0 cos x iˆ  E0 y ˆj . If the particle v0
1.0 m

emerges out from the region at point B, find the velocity with which it emerges D C
x
from the region ABCD.
π/2 m
17) Two fixed charges -2Q and +Q are located at the points with coordinates (-3a, 0) and (+3a, 0),
respectively, in the x-y plane.

a) Show that all the points in the x-y plane, whose electric potential due to the two charges is zero,
lie on a circle. Find the equation of the circle.
b) Derive the expression for the potential V(x) at a general point on the x-axis

18) Four point charges +8 μC, -1 μC, -1 μC and +8 μC are fixed at Y

27 3 3 27 +8 μC (0, √27/2)
the points  m,  m,  m and  m
2 2 2 2
respectively on the y-axis. See figure belo. A particle of mass -1 μC (0, √3/2)
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6.0 x 10 kg and of charge 0.1 μC moves along the -X X
direction. It's speed at x=∞ is v0. Assume that the space is
gravity free.
-1 μC (0, -√3/2)

a) Find the least value of v0 for which the particle will cross +8 μC (0, -√27/2)
the origin
b) Find the kinetic energy of the particle at the origin.

A
q
19) A non-conducting sphere of radius a and mass m carrying a uniform
surface charge q is made to roll on a rough horizontal surface starting
from point P, in the direction PB, where B is fixed point. The distance 13a
PB=2a. A point charge q, having charge equal to that on the sphere, is
kept fixed at a distance 13a vertically above B. What minimum velocity q V0
v0 should be imparted to the sphere so that it reaches the point R on the
P B R
other side of B where BR=5a? 9a 5a

Y (cm)
10 V 20 V 30 V
20) An equipotential surface is shown in the figure. What can you say about
the magnitude and the direction of the electric field? 300 300 300
10 20 30 X (cm)

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21) An infinite charged sheet has a surface charge density of 1.0 x 10 C/m . How far apart are the
equipotential surfaces whose potential differ by 5.0 V?
22) Three point charges are placed on the vertices of an equilateral triangle of side a as shown. What
work is required to make the triangle twice as big?

-q +q
23) Charges +q and –q are located at the corners of a cube of side a as shown. q
Find the work done to separate the charges to infinity. +q -q
q +q -q
q
-q
+q
q
24) Six particles A1, A2, …A6 carrying equal charges q and having equal masses m are A1 A2
placed at the six corners of a hexagon of side a. The charges are joined together by
mass-less rods and are held fixed at the positions (A1, A2 and A3,A4 are not joined). A6 A3
The whole system is released. Find the speeds of the two parts when they are
infinitely far from each other. Consider only electrostatic forces. A5 A4

25) A point charge is placed at the centre of a spherical Gaussian surface. Is the flux of the electric field
changed

a) if the surface is replaced by a cube of the same volume,

b) if the sphere is replaced by a cube of one-tenth the volume,
c) if the charge is moved off-centre in the original sphere, still remaining inside,
d) if the charge is moved just outside the original sphere,
e) if the second charge is placed near, and outside, the original sphere,
f) if the second charge is placed inside the Gaussian surface?

26) In the Gauss's law, , is only attributable to the charge q?

27) A surface encloses an electric dipole. What can you say about  E for this surface?

28) Suppose that a Gaussian surface encloses no net charge. Does Gauss's law require that equal to
zero for all points on the surface? Is the converse of this statement true, that is, if equals zero
everywhere on the surface, does Gauss's law require that there be no net charge inside?

29) Is Gauss's law useful in calculating the field due to three equal charges located at the corners of an
equilateral triangle? Explain.

30) A spherical rubber balloon carries a charge that is uniformly distributed over its surface. If the balloon
is blown up (i.e. inflated), how does E vary for points

a) inside the balloon

b) at the surface of the balloon
c) outside the balloon
31) A large, insulated, hollow conductor carries a charge +q. A small metal ball carrying a charge -q is
lowered by a thread through a small opening in the top of the conductor, allowed to touch the inner
surface, and then withdrawn. What is then the charge on the conductor and the ball?

32) Would Gauss's law hold if the exponent in Coulomb's law were not exactly two?

33) Given a spherically symmetric charge distribution (ρ depends on r), is E necessarily a maximum at
the surface?

34) An electric dipole of dipole moment p is kept at a large distance from a very long straight wire having
uniform charge density λ. The distance of the center of the dipole from the wire is x and the direction
of the dipole is normal to the wire as shown. Assume x to be much larger than the length of the
dipole. Calculate the force with which the wire interacts with the dipole.

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35) Can a conducting sphere 10 cm in radius hold a charge of 4 x 10 C in air without breakdown? The
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minimum field required to produce breakdown of air at 1 atm is 3 x 10 V/m.

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36) A small sphere whose mass is 1.0 x 10 gm carries a charge of 2.0 x 10 C. It hangs from a silk
0
thread which makes an angle of 30 with a large, charged non-conducting. Calculate the surface
charge density of the sheet.

37) Calculate the flux of electric field,  E through a hemisphere of radius R. The electric
Q
field is uniform and is parallel to the axis of the hemisphere.
a/2
a
38) A charge Q is placed at a distance of a/2 above the centre of a horizontal, square
surface of edge a as shown. Find the flux of the electric field through the square a
surface.

39) Two points charges +q and –q are separated by distance 2l. Find the flux of
-q l l +q
electric field through a circular area of radius R shown.

R
40) A solid non-conducting sphere carries a uniform charge per unit volume ρ. Let
r
r be the vector from the centre of the sphere to a general point P within the
sphere

a) Show that the electric field at P is given by

r
a
b) A spherical cavity is created in the above sphere, as shown. Show that electric
r
field at all points within the cavity is , where a is the vector connecting
the centre of the sphere with the centre of the cavity.

41) An electric charge distribution produces an electric field given by , where r̂ is the
unit vector in the direction of position vector of a point with respect to an origin. C and α are positive
constants. Find the net charge within a sphere of radius r=1/α centered on the origin.
42) An uncharged, spherical, thin, metallic shell has point charge q at its centre. Give expressions for the
electric field

a) Inside the shell

b) Outside the shell
c) Has the shell any effect on the field due to q?
d) Has the presence of q any effect on the shell? If yes, what is it?
e) If a second point charge is held outside the shell, does this outside charge experience a force?
f) Does the inside charge experience a force?
g) Is there a contradiction with Newton's third law here?

43) A non-conducting sphere of radius a is placed at the centre of a spherical conducting shell of inner
radius b and outer radius c, as shown. A charge +Q is distributed uniformly throughout the volume of
the inner sphere. The outer shell carries charge -Q. Find E(r)

+Q
a) Within the sphere (r<a)
b) Between the sphere and the shell a<r<b -Q
b
c) inside the shell b<r<c c

d) Outside the shell r>c

e) What charges appear on the inner and outer surfaces of the shell?

44) A long conducting cylinder (length l) carrying a total +q is surrounded by a -2q

conducting cylindrical shell of total charge -2q, as shown in cross section. Find
+q

a) the electric field at the points outside the conducting shell

b) the distribution of charge on the conducting shell (i.e. on inner and outer
surfaces)
c) the electric field in the region between the cylinders

Answer Key

(1) Q/2 (2) C (3) (a) (b) Radially outwards (4) 6.0 x 10-8C (5)

q q q
(6) (7) (a) E  , E (r  a)  (b) E  ,
4 0 r a  r
2 2 4 0 r 2
4 0 ( r 2  a 2 )

q  2 3aq
E ( r  a )  (8) (a) E  (b) Zero (9) - (10) (11) On the surface of a
4 0 r 2
4 0 R 2 0 r 3
cone with axis along p and half angle (12) (a) (b) (c)
(13) (a) -80 V (b) -40 V (c) -120 V (14) ---- (15) (a) 2.52 J (b) Into electrostatic energy

(16) (17) (a) (b)

(18) (a) 3 m/s (b) 2.5
q2 7Q 2
(20) 200 V/m at 1200 with X axis (21) 0.89 mm . (22) 
(19) 168 0 am 8 0 a
x 10-4 J
 q2  1 9  4 3  q2 
(23) - 5.824    
 4 0 a  (24) velocity of one of the parts: 3 2  4 0 am 

(25) (a) No (b) No (c) No (d) Yes (e) No (f) Yes (26) No, it depends on all the charges in space (27)
Zero (28) No, Yes (29) No, since there is no symmetry to exploit Gauss’s law (30) (a) Remains zero (b)
Falls inversely as radius (c) Does not change (31) Ball loses all its charge, the lost charge goes to the
p
outer surface of the conductor (32) No (33) Yes (34) (35) No (36) 51.1 x 10-10 C (37)  R 2 E
2 0 x 2

 
Q q 1  e 1 q
(38) (39) 1   (41) Qnet  4 c 0 (42) (a) , radial (b) same as
6 0 0 
   e 4 0 r 2
2
 1 R
 l 
q
(a) (c) No (d) Yes, charges are induced on the outer surface (e) Yes (f) No (g) No (43) (a) r
4 0 a 3
q q
(b) (c) Zero (d) Zero (e) Inner –Q, outer zero (44) (a) radially inward (b) –q on both
4 0 r 2
2 0lr
q
outer and inner surfaces (c) radially outward conductor
2 0lr