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ASSIGNMENT CLASS – 12TH

SUBJECT – PHYSICS (NUMERICALS) TOPIC – ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
–
Electric field as Gradient of Potential
1. Two parallel plates are 5 cm apart and a potential difference of 60 V is set up across them. Find the electric field
intensely between the two plates. [-1200 V m-1]

2. The electric potential V (x) in a region along the X – axis varies with the distance x (in metre) according to the
relation V(x) = 4 x2. Calculate the force experienced by a 1 C charge placed at point x = 1 m. [ 8  10-6 N]

Electric Potential Energy of a System of Charges

3. Find the electrostatic potential energy of the configuration of four charges + q, - q, +q and – q placed at the four
corners A, B, C and D of a square of side

4. An electric dipole of length 2 cm is placed with its axis making an angle of 30 o to a uniform electric field of 105 N
C-1. If it experiences a torque of 10 3 N m, calculate (i) the magnitude of the charge on the dipole and (ii) potential
energy of the dipole. [3 x 10-2C, - 30]

5. Calculate the work done to dissociate the system of three charges (q = 1.6 10-10
C) placed on the vertices of a triangle as shown in the fig. [-2.304  10-8 J]

6. Three charges -q, +Q and -q are placed at equal distances on a straight line. If the
electric potential energy of the system of three charges is zero, find the ratio Q/q.
[1:4]
7. Two point charges + 10 C and – 10 C are separated by a distance of 40 cm in
air.
(a) Calculate the electrostatic potential energy of the system, assuming the zero of the potential energy to be at
infinity. [-2.5 J]
(b) Draw an equipotential surface of the system.
(c) How much work is required to separate the two charges infinitely away from each other? [2.5 J]

On Potential due to a point charge or group of charges

8. Electric field intensity at point B due to a point charge Q kept at A is 24 N/C and the electric potential at point B
due to same charge is 12 J/C.Calculate the distance AB and also the magnitude of the charge.
[0.5m, 0.667 x 10-9 C]
9. (a) Calculate the potential at a point P due to a charge of 4  10 C located 9 cm away.
-7
[4  104 V]
(b) Hence, obtain the work done in bringing a charge of 2  10-9 C from infinity to the point P. Does the answer
depend on the path along which the charge is brought? [8  10-5 J]

10. A charge of 20 C produces an electric field. Two points are 10 cm and 5 cm from this charge. Find the values of
potentials at these points and also find the amount of work done to take an electron from one point to the other.
[1.8  106 V, 3.6  106 V, 2.88 10-13 J]

1
Electric Potential Assignment

11. Calculate the potential at the centre of square ABCD of each side 2 m due to charges 2, - 2, - 3 and 6 C at
four corners of it. [2.7  104 V]

12. A metal wire is bent into a circle of radius 10 cm. It is given a charge of 200 C, which spreads on it uniformly.
Calculate the electric potential at its centre. [1.8  107 V]

13. Two charges 3  10-8 C and – 2  10-8 C are located 15 cm apart. At what point on the line joining the two
charges is the electrical potential zero? Take the potential at infinity to be zero.[9 cm (from  10-8 C)]

14. ABCD is a square of side 0.2 m. Charges of 2  10-9, 4  10-9, 8  10-9 coulomb are placed at the corners A, B and
C respectively. Calculate the work required to transfer a charge of 2  10-9 coulomb from corner D to the centre
of the square. [6.27  10-7 J]

15. Four point charges 16 C, - 16 C, 16 C and – 16 C are located at the corners of a square of each side 10 cm.
Find the value /of electric field intensity and electric potential at the centre of the square. [0; 0]

16. A cube of side b has a charge q at each of its vertices. Determine the potential and electric field due to this
charge array at the centre of the cube.

17. The sides of a rectangle ABCD are 15 cm and 5 cm. Two point charges of + 2 C and – 5 C are placed at the
corners A and C respectively [shown in the fig.].
Calculate the work done in carrying a charge of 3  C from point B to D.[2.52 J]

General
18. 27 drops of same size are charged at 220V each. They coalesce to form a bigger drop. Calculate the electric
potential of the bigger drop. [1980 V]

19. Calculate the voltage needed to balance an oil drop carrying 10 electrons when located between the plates of
a capacitor which are 5 mm apart (g = 10 m/s2). The mass of oil drop is 3 x 10-16 kg. [9.47 V]

On Potential difference and work done in moving a charge

20. Three points A , B and C lie in a uniform electric field (E) of 5 x 103 N/C as shown
in figure. Find the potential difference between A and C.
[-200 V]

21. Two charges -q and +q are located at points A(0,0,-a) and B(0,0,+a) respectively.
How much work is done in moving a test charge from point P(7,0,0) to q(-3, 0,0)
[0]
22. 10 joule to work must be done to move a charge of – 200 C from the point A to point B.
(i) Which of the two points is at higher potential? [A]
(ii) What is the potential difference? [0.05 V]

HOME ASSIGNMENT
23. To what potential we must charge an insulated sphere of radius 14 cm so that the surface charge density is
equal to 1 µ Cm-2. [15840 V]

24. Calculate the electric potential at the centre of a square of side 2 m, having charges 100 µC, -50 µC, 20 µC
and -60 µCat the four corners of the square. [ 9 x 104 V]

Gurukul Classes (Compiled by - Vaibhav Agarwal) Page 2

Electric Potential Assignment

25. A short electric dipole has dipole moment of 4 x 10-9 Cm. Determine the electric potential due to the dipole at a
point distant 0.3m from the center of the dipole situated
(a) on the axial line
(b) on he equatorial line, and
(c) a line making an angle of 600 with the dipole axis. [400V, 0, 200 V]

26. Positive charges of 6, 12 and 24 nC are placed at the three vertices of a square. What charge must be placed at
the fourth vertex so that the total potential at the centre of the square id zero? [-42 nC]

27. Two small spheres of radius 'a' each carrying charges +q and -q are placed at points A and B, distance 'd' apart.
Calculate the potential difference between A and B. [2q/4od]

28. Find the electric field between two metal plates 3 mm apart, connected to 12 V battery. [4x103V/m]

29. (a) Determine the electrostatic energy of a system containing two charges 7 C and – 2 C separated by a
distance of 18 cm. [0.7 J]
(b) How much work is required to separate the two charges infinitely away from each other? [0.7 J]

A ˆ
30. The electric field in a region is given by E = i . Write the S.I. unit of A Write an expression for the potential in
x3
the region. [Nm3C-1, A/2x2]

31. Two positive charges of 0.2 µC and 0.01 µC are placed 10 cm apart. Calculate the work done in reducing the
distance to 5 cm. [1.8x10-4J]

32. Two electrons, each moving with velocity of 0.6 m/s, are released towards each other. What will be the closest
distance of approach between them. [Hint : kinetic energy of 2 electrons changes in to electric potential energy]
[2.53 x 10-10 m]
33. Three point charges +q, +2q and Q are placed at the three vertices of an equilateral triangle. Find the value of
charge Q (in terms of q), so that the electric potential energy of the system is zero. [Q= -2q/3]

34. Three point charges are arranged as shown in figure. What is their mutual potential energy?
Take q = 1 x 10-4 C and a = 10 cm. [0.27 J]

35. Determine the potential energy of the charge configuration shown. [-2 q2/4o]

NCERT EXAMPLES

Example 2.1
(a) Calculate the potential at a point P due to a charge of 4 × 10–7C located 9 cm away. [4 x 104V]
(b) Hence obtain the work done in bringing a charge of 2 × 10–9 C from infinity to the point P. Does the answer
depend on the path along which the charge is brought? [8 x 10-5J, No]

Example 2.2
Two charges 3 × 10–8 C and –2 × 10–8 C are located 15 cm apart. At what point on the line joining the two charges is
the electric potential zero? Take the potential at infinity to be zero. S[45 cm]

Gurukul Classes (Compiled by - Vaibhav Agarwal) Page 3

Electric Potential Assignment

Example 2.3
Fig. 4.41 (a) and 4.41 (b) show the field lines of a single positive and negative charge respectively:
(i) Give the sign of the potential difference VP – VQ and VB – VA
[due to +ve charge, VP – VQ > 0, due to –ve charge, VA – VB < 0 or VB – VA > 0]
(ii) Give the sign of the potential energy difference of a small negative charge between the points Q and P; A and B.
(positive, positive)
(iii) Give the sign of the work done by the field in moving a small positive charge form point Q to P.
(negative)
(iv) Give the sign of the work done by the external agency in moving a small negative charge from point B to A. (+)
(v) Does the kinetic energy of a small negative charge increase or decrease in going from point B to A? (decreases)

Example 2.3 Example 2.4

Example 2.4
Four charges are arranged at the corners of a square ABCD of side d, as shown in Fig. Find the work required to put
together this arrangement. (b) A charge q0 is brought to the centre E of the square, the four charges being held
fixed at its corners. How much extra work is needed to do this?

Example 2.5
(a) Determine the electrostatic potential energy of a system consisting of two charges 7 µC and –2 µC (and with no
external field) placed at (–9 cm, 0, 0) and (9 cm, 0, 0) respectively.
(b) How much work is required to separate the two charges infinitely away from each other?
(c) Suppose that the same system of charges is now placed in an external electric field E = A (1/r2 ); A = 9 × 105 Cm-2.
What would the electrostatic energy of the configuration be? [- 0.7 J, +0.7J, 49.3 J]

Example 2.6
A molecule of a substance has a permanent electric dipole moment of magnitude 10-29 C m. A mole of this
substance is polarised (at low temperature) by applying a strong electrostatic field of magnitude 10 6 V m-1.The
direction of the field is suddenly changed by an angle of 60º. Estimate the heat released by the substance in
aligning its dipoles along the new direction of the field. [3J]

NCERT EXERCISES

2.1 Two charges 5 × 10–8 C and –3 × 10–8 C are located 16 cm apart. At what point(s) on the line joining the two
charges is the electric potential zero? Take the potential at infinity to be zero.

2.2 A regular hexagon of side 10 cm has a charge 5 μC at each of its vertices. Calculate the potential at the centre of
the hexagon.

2.3 Two charges 2 μC and –2 μC are placed at points A and B 6 cm apart.

(a) Identify an equipotential surface of the system.
(b) What is the direction of the electric field at every point on this surface?

2.4 A spherical conductor of radius 12 cm has a charge of 1.6 × 10–7C distributed uniformly on its surface. What is
the electric field (a) inside the sphere (b) just outside the sphere (c) at a point 18 cm from the centre of the sphere?

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Gurukul Classes (Compiled by - Vaibhav Agarwal) Page 4