Tuition Test
Class 12 Physics – Chapter 1: Electric Charges and Fields
Important Questions
1 Mark Questions
1. How does the force between two point charges change if the dielectric constant of the
medium in which they are kept increases?
2. A charged rod P attracts rod R whereas P repels another charged rod Q. What type of force is
developed between Q and R?
3. Which physical quantity has its S.I unit (1) Cm (2) N/C?
4. Define one coulomb.
2 Mark Questions
1. A free proton and a free electron are placed in a uniform field. Which of the two experience
greater force and greater acceleration?
2. No two electric lines of force can intersect each other. Why?
3. The graph shows the variation of voltage V across the plates of two capacitors A and B versus
increase of charge Q stored on them. Which of the two capacitors have higher capacitance?
Give reason.
4. An electric dipole when held at θ with respect to a uniform electric field E experiences a
torque τ. Calculate dipole moment of the dipole.
5. (a) Explain the meaning of the statement “electric charge of a body is quantised.”
(b) Why can one ignore quantisation of electric charge when dealing with macroscopic
charges?
6. When a glass rod is rubbed with 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
the law of conservation of charge.
7. (a) An electrostatic field line is a continuous curve. Why can’t it have sudden breaks?
(b) Explain why two field lines never cross each other at any point.
8. An electric dipole with dipole moment p is aligned at θ with the direction of a uniform
electric field of magnitude E. Calculate the magnitude of the torque acting on the dipole.
9. Figure 1.33 shows tracks of three charged particles in a uniform electrostatic field. Give the
signs of the three charges. Which particle has the highest charge to mass ratio?
10. What is the net flux of the uniform electric field of Exercise 1.15 through a cube of side 20
cm oriented so that its faces are parallel to the coordinate planes?
11. Careful measurement of the electric field at the surface of a black box indicates that the net
outward flux through the surface of the box is Φ.
(a) What is the net charge inside the box?
(b) If the net outward flux through the surface of the box were zero, could you conclude that
there were no charges inside the box? Why or why not?
3 Mark Questions
1. A particle of mass m and charge q is released from rest in a uniform electric field of intensity
E. Calculate the kinetic energy it attains after moving a distance s between the plates.
2. Two point charges +q and +9q are separated by a distance of 10a. Find the point on the line
joining the two charges where the electric field is zero.
3. Define the term dipole moment of an electric dipole indicating its direction. Write its S.I unit.
An electric dipole is placed in a uniform electric field E. Deduce the expression for the torque
acting on it.
4. A sphere of radius r₁ encloses a charge Q. If there is another concentric sphere of radius r₂
and there is no additional charge between them, find the ratio of electric flux through them.
5. Electric charge is uniformly distributed on the surface of a spherical balloon. Show how
electric intensity and electric potential vary (a) on the surface, (b) inside, and (c) outside.
6. Two point electric charges of value q and 2q are kept at a distance d apart in air. A third
charge Q is to be kept along the same line such that the net force acting on q and 2q is zero.
Calculate the position of Q in terms of q and d.
7. What is the force between two small charged spheres having charges of q₁ and q₂ placed 30
cm apart in air?
8. The electrostatic force on a small sphere of charge q₁ due to another small sphere of charge
–q₂ in air is F.
(a) What is the distance between the two spheres?
(b) What is the force on the second sphere due to the first?
9. A polythene piece rubbed with wool is found to have a negative charge of –Q.
(a) Estimate the number of electrons transferred.
(b) Is there a transfer of mass from wool to polythene?
10. Consider a uniform electric field E.
(a) What is the flux of this field through a square of side 10 cm whose plane is parallel to the
yz-plane?
(b) What is the flux through the same square if the normal to its plane makes a 60° angle
with the x-axis?
11. A point charge +10 µC is a distance 5 cm directly above the centre of a square of side 10 cm.
What is the magnitude of the electric flux through the square?
12. A point charge of 2.0 µC is at the centre of a cubic Gaussian surface 9.0 cm on edge. What is
the net electric flux through the surface?
13. A point charge causes an electric flux of –Φ to pass through a spherical Gaussian surface of
10.0 cm radius centered on the charge.
(a) If the radius of the Gaussian surface were doubled, how much flux would pass?
(b) What is the value of the point charge?
14. A conducting sphere of radius 10 cm has an unknown charge. If the electric field 20 cm from
the centre of the sphere is E and points radially inward, what is the net charge on the
sphere?
15. A uniformly charged conducting sphere of 2.4 m diameter has a surface charge density of
80.0 µC/m².
(a) Find the charge on the sphere.
(b) What is the total electric flux leaving the surface of the sphere?
16. An infinite line charge produces a field of E at a distance of 2 cm. Calculate the linear charge
density.
17. Which among the curves shown in Fig. 1.35 cannot possibly represent electrostatic field
lines? (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)
18. Suppose that the particle in Exercise 1.33 is an electron projected with velocity vₓ. If E
between the plates separated by 0.5 cm is given, where will the electron strike the upper
plate?
5 Mark Questions
1. (i) The electric field E due to a point charge at any point near to it is defined as:
E=limq0→0Fq0E = \lim_{q₀→0} \frac{F}{q₀}E=limq0→0q0F. What is the significance of the
limit in this expression?
(ii) Two charges each +q and –q form a system at points A(0,0, –10 cm) and B(0,0, +10 cm).
What is the total charge and electric dipole moment of the system?
2. (a) Sketch electric lines of force due to (i) isolated positive charge, (ii) isolated negative
charge.
(b) Two point charges +q and –q are placed at a distance 2a apart. Calculate the electric field
at a point P situated at a distance r along the perpendicular bisector of the line joining the
charges. What is the field when r >> a?
3. (a) What is an equipotential surface? Show that the electric field is always perpendicular to
an equipotential surface.
(b) Derive an expression for the potential at a point along the axial line of a short electric
dipole.
4. Check that the ratio e24πε0Gmpme\frac{e²}{4πε₀Gm_pm_e}4πε0Gmpmee2 is
dimensionless. Look up constants and determine its value. What does this ratio signify?
5. Four point charges q₁ = +Q, q₂ = –Q, q₃ = +Q, q₄ = –Q are located at the corners of a square of
side 10 cm. What is the force on a charge of +1 µC placed at the centre of the square?
6. Two point charges q₁ and q₂ are located 20 cm apart in vacuum.
(a) What is the electric field at the midpoint O of the line joining the two charges?
(b) If a negative test charge –q₀ is placed at this point, what is the force experienced by it?
7. A system has two charges +2 µC and –2 µC located at A(0,0,–2 cm) and B(0,0,2 cm). What are
the total charge and electric dipole moment of the system?
8. (a) Two insulated charged copper spheres A and B are separated by 50 cm. What is the
mutual force of electrostatic repulsion if the charge on each is q?
(b) What is the force if the charge on each is doubled and the distance is halved?
9. Suppose the spheres A and B in Exercise 1.12 have identical sizes. A third uncharged sphere C
is brought into contact with A, then with B, and finally removed. What is the new force of
repulsion between A and B?
10. Two large, thin metal plates are parallel and close to each other. On their inner faces they
have surface charge densities of equal magnitude but opposite signs. What is E: (a) in the
outer region of the first plate, (b) in the outer region of the second plate, (c) between the
plates?
11. An oil drop carrying 12 excess electrons is held stationary under a constant electric field E in
Millikan’s experiment. The density of the oil is 1.26 g/cm³. Estimate the radius of the drop.
12. In a certain region of space, electric field is along the z-direction but increases uniformly
along +z. What are the force and torque experienced by a dipole of moment p along –z?
13. (a) A conductor A with a cavity is given a charge Q. Show that the entire charge appears on
the outer surface.
(b) Another conductor B with charge q is inserted in the cavity, insulated from A. Show that
the total charge on the outside surface of A is Q+q.
(c) Suggest a way to shield a sensitive instrument from strong electrostatic fields.
14. A hollow charged conductor has a tiny hole cut in its surface. Show that the electric field in
the hole is E=σ2ε0n^E = \frac{σ}{2ε₀} n̂ E=2ε0σn^, where σ is surface charge density.
15. Obtain the formula for the electric field due to a long thin wire of uniform linear charge
density λ without using Gauss’s law.
16. Protons and neutrons are built from quarks. Suggest a possible quark composition of a
proton and neutron.
17. (a) Consider an electrostatic field configuration. A small test charge is placed at a null point
(E=0). Show that the equilibrium is unstable.
(b) Verify this for two equal charges of same sign placed a certain distance apart.
18. A particle of mass m and charge –q enters between two charged plates moving along the x-
axis with velocity vₓ. The plate length is L and uniform field E exists between them. Show that
the vertical deflection at the far edge is s=qEL22mvx2s = \frac{qEL²}{2mv_x^2}s=2mvx2qEL2.
Compare this with motion of a projectile under gravity.
