For Each Of The Following Questions Choose The Best Answer Among The Given Alternatives

1. Object A has a charge of +2µC, and object B has a charge of +6µC. Which statement is
true about the electric forces on the objects?
→
− →
− →
− →
− →
− →
− →
− →
−
(A) F AB = -3 F BA (B) F AB = - F BA (C) 3 F AB = - F BA (D) F AB = F BA

2. Two small charged objects attract each other with a force of magnitude F when separated
by a distance d. If the charge on each object is reduced to one-fourth of its original value
and the distance between them is reduced to d2 , what is the resulting magnitude of the
electric force between them?
F
(A) 16 (B) F8 (C) F4 (D) F2

3. A parallel-plate capacitor filled with air carries a charge Q . The battery is disconnected,
and a slab of material with dielectric constant k = 2 is inserted between the plates. Which
of the following statements is TRUE?
(A) The voltage across the capacitor decreases by a factor of 2.
(B) The voltage across the capacitor is doubled.
(C) The charge on the plates decreases by a factor of 2.
(D) The electric field is doubled.

4. Four point charges are on the rim of a circle of radius 10 cm. The charges are (in µC)
+0.5, +1.5, -1, -0.5. If the electrical potential at the circles center due to the +0.5 charge
alone is 4.5 x 104 V, what is the total potential at the center due to the four charges
combined?( k = 9 x 109 N·m2 /C 2 )
(A) -4.5 x 104 V (B) zero (C) 4.5 x 104 V (D) 18 x 104 V

5. An electron with velocity v = 1 x 106 m/s is sent between the plates of a capacitor where
the electric field is E = 182 V/m. If the distance the electron travels through the field is
1 cm, how far is it deviated (Y) in its path when it emerges from the electric field?
( me = 9.1 x 10−31 kg, e = 1.6 x 10−19 C)

(A) 4.4 cm (B) 1.6 cm (C) 4.4 mm (D) 1.6 mm

6. The equipotential surfaces associated with a charged point particles are:

(A) radially outward from the particle
(B) concentric spheres centered at the particle
(C) vertical planes
(D) horizontal planes

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 7. The four particles are fixed in place and have charges q1 = q2 = +5e, q3 = +3e, and
q4 = -12e as shown in Figure. Distance d = 3 mm. What is the magnitude of the net
electric field at point P due to the particles? ( k = 9 x 109 N·m2 /C 2 , e = 1.6 x 10−19 C)

(A) 4.8 x 10−4 N/C (B) 1.2 x 10−4 N/C (C) 1.6 x 10−4 N/C (D) 0

8. A charged point particle is placed at the center of a spherical Gaussian surface. The
electric flux ΦE is changed if:
(A) the sphere is replaced by a cube of the same volume
(B) the sphere is replaced by a cube of one-tenth the volume
(C) the point charge is moved off center (but still inside the original sphere)
(D) the point charge is moved to just outside the sphere

9. A very small ball has a mass of 5 x 10−3 kg and a charge of 4 µC. What magnitude electric
field directed upward will balance the weight of the ball so that the ball is suspended
motionless above the ground? ( g = 10 m/s2 )
(A) 1.25 x 104 N/C (B) 0.75 x 102 N/C (C) 2 x 10−2 N/C (D) 5 x 104 N/C

10. A Gaussian surface contains the following point charges: 6 C, 4 C, -2 C, -4 C. The electric
flux coming out of the surface is:
(A) 4 C/o (B) -16 C/o (C) 16 C/o (D) -4 C/o

11. What is electric potential energy of a system of four point charges, each with charge q
located
√ at the corners of a square of side a? √
2kq
√ 2 √
(A) a (2 2 + 1) (C) 2kq (2 2 + 1)
√ √ √a √
2kq 2 2kq
(B) a (2 2 - 1) (D) a (2 2 - 1)

12. A small object of mass m carries a charge q and is suspended by a thread between the
vertical plates of a parallel-plate capacitor. The plate separation is d. If the thread makes
an angle θ with the vertical, what is the potential difference between the plates?
(A) md tan
q
θ
(B) mgdqtan θ (C) mgdqsin θ (D) md qsin θ

13. In a certain region of space the electric potential increases uniformly from east to west
and does not vary in any other direction. The electric field:
(A) points east and varies with position (C) points east and does not vary with position
(B) points west and varies with position (D) points west and does not vary with position

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14. A capacitor stores charge Q at a potential difference ∆V. What happens if the voltage
applied to the capacitor by a battery is doubled to 2∆V?
(A) The capacitance falls to half its initial value, and the charge remains the same.
(B) The capacitance and the charge both fall to half their initial values.
(C) The capacitance and the charge both double.
(D) The capacitance remains the same, and the charge doubles.

15. Two particle with charges Q and -Q are fixed at the vertices of an equilateral triangle with
sides of length as shown below.

What will be the work required to move a particle with charge q from the other vertex to
the center of the line joining the fixed particles?
(A) 0 (B) kQq
a (C) kQq
a2
(D) 2 kQq
a

16. An air-filled parallel-plate capacitor has a capacitance of 1 pF. The plate separation is
then doubled and a wax dielectric is inserted, completely filling the space between the
plates. As a result, the capacitance becomes 2 pF, what is dielectric constant of the wax?
(A) 8 (B) 4 (C) 2 (D) 6

17. In Figure shown below, C1 = 6 µF, C2 = 4 µF and C3 = 5 µF. The capacitor network is
connected to an applied potential Vab . After the charges on the capacitors have reached
their final values, the charge on C2 is 40 µC. What is the applied voltage Vab ?

(A) 20 V (B) 15 V (C) 30 V (D) 10 V

18. A pair of parallel plates, forming a capacitor, are charged. The plates are pulled apart to
double the original separation, the charges on the plates remaining the same. What is
the ratio of the final energy stored to the original energy stored?
(A) 4 (B) 2 (C) 1 (D) 1/2

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19. Which of the following statements is NOT true about an electric field generated by a
positive charge of magnitude Q?
(A) The further away from Q the weaker is the strength of the electric field
(B) The strength of the electric field depends on the magnitude of the charge Q
(C) The strength of the electric field generated by Q does not depend on spatial location
(D) The electric field is directed away from the originator charge Q

20. An electric dipole consists of a particle with a charge of +6 x 10−6 C at the origin and a
particle with a charge of -6 x 10−6 C on the x axis at x = 3 x 10−3 m. Its dipole moment is:
(A) 1.8 x 10−8 C·m, in the negative x direction
(B) 1.8 x 10−8 C·m, in the positive x direction
(C) 0 because the net charge is 0
(D) 1.8 x 10−8 C·m, in the positive y direction

21. An electron is released from rest at the negative plate of a parallel-plate capacitor. If the
distance across the plate is 5 mm and the potential difference across the plate is 1.82 V,
with what velocity does the electron hit the positive plate?
( me = 9.1 x 10−31 kg, e = 1.6 x 10−19 C)
(A) 2.6 x 105 m/s (B) 5 x 105 m/s (C) 8 x 105 m/s (D) 4.6 x 105 m/s

22. Positive charge Q is uniformly distributed on a semicircular rod. What is the direction of
the electric field at point P, the center of the semicircle?

(A) ↑ (B) ↓ (C) ←− (D) −→

23. Point charges q1 and q2 are placed on the x axis, with q1 at x = 0 and q2 at x = d. A third
point charge, +Q, is placed at x = 43 d. If the net electrostatic force experienced by the
charge +Q is zero, how are q1 and q2 related?
(A) q2 = 9q1 (B) q1 = 3q2 (C) q2 = 3q1 (D) q1 = 9q2

24. The electric potential at x = 3 m is 120 V, and the electric potential at x = 5 m is 190 V.
What is the magnitude of the electric field in this region, assuming its constant?
(A) 140 N/C (B) 70 N/C (C) 35 N/C (d) 25 N/C

25. An electron (1.6 x 10−19 C) moves on a path perpendicular to the direction of a uniform
electric field of strength 3 N/C. How much work is done on the electron as it moves 15
cm?
(A) 4.8 x 10−20 J (B) -4.8 x 10−20 J (C) 1.6 x x 10−20 J (D) zero

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26. Which of the following characteristics are held in common by both gravitational and
electrostatic forces when dealing with either point masses or charges?
(A) inverse square distance law applies
(B) forces are conservative
(C) potential energy is a function of distance of separation
(D) all of the above choices are valid

27. Charge A and charge B are 3 m apart, and charge A is +4 C and charge B is +9 C. Charge
C is located between them at a certain point and the force on charge C is zero. How far
from charge A is charge C?
(A) 0.555 m (B) 0.667 m (C) 1.2 m (D) 1.50 m

28. A particle with a charge of 5 x 10−6 C and a mass of 20 g moves uniformly with a speed
of 5 m/s in a circular orbit around a stationary particle with a charge of -5 x 10−6 C. The
radius of the orbit is:( k = 9 x 109 N·m2 /C 2 )
(A) 0 (B) 0.23 m (C) 0.62 m (D) 0.45 m

29. An electron is accelerated from rest through a potential difference V . Its final speed is
proportional to:
√
(A) V (B) V 2 (C) V (D) 1/V

30. Two protons, each of charge 1.6 x 10−19 C, are 2 x 10−5 m apart. What is the change in
potential energy if they are brought 1 x 10−5 m closer together? ( k = 9 x 109 N·m2 /C 2 )
(A) 1.15 x 10−23 J (B) 3.2 x 10−19 J (C) 3.2 x 10−16 J (D) 1.60 x 10−14 J

31. A group of identical capacitors is connected first in series and then in parallel. The
combined capacitance in parallel is 100 times larger than for the series connection. How
many capacitors are in the group?
(A) 100 (B) 5 (C) 10 (D) 15

32. A certain capacitor, in series with a resistor, is being charged. At the end of 10 ms its
charge is half the final value. The time constant for the process is about:( ln(2) = 0.693 )
(A) 14 ms (B) 2.3 ms (C) 6.9 ms (D) 10 ms

33. A parallel-plate capacitor has a plate area of 0.2 m2 and a plate separation of 0.1 mm.
If the charge on each plate has a magnitude of 8.85 x 10−6 C. What is the potential
difference across the plates? ( o = 8.85 x 10−12 C 2 / N·m2 )
(A) 0 (B) 885 V (C) 1000 V (D) 500 V

34. When charges QA , QB , and QC are placed respectively at the corners a, b, and c of a right
triangle, the potential at the midpoint of the hypotenuse is 20 V. When the charge QA is
removed, the potential at the midpoint becomes 15 V. When, instead, the charge QB is
removed (QA and QC both in place), the potential at the midpoint becomes 12 V. What is
the potential at the midpoint if only the charge QC is removed from the array of charges?
(A) 8 V (B) 5 V (C) 7 V (D) 13 V

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35. Two point particles, with a charges of Q1 and Q2 , are placed a distance r apart. The
electric field is zero at a point P between the particles on the line segment connecting
them. We conclude that:
(A) Q1 and Q2 must have the same magnitude and sign
(B) P must be midway between the particles
(C) Q1 and Q2 must have the same sign but may have different magnitudes
(D) Q1 and Q2 must have equal magnitudes and opposite signs

36. Two particles, each with charge Q, and a third particle, with charge q, are placed at the
vertices of an equilateral triangle as shown in figure. The total force on the particle with
charge q is:

(A) parallel to the left side of the triangle

(B) parallel to the right side of the triangle
(C) parallel to the bottom side of the triangle
(D) perpendicular to the bottom side of the triangle

37. A charged particle is placed in an electric field that varies with location. No force is
exerted on this charge:
(A) at locations where the electric field is zero
(B) if the field is caused by an equal amount of positive and negative charge
(C) if the particle is moving along a field line
(D) if the particle is moving perpendicularly to a field line

38. Choose the INCORRECT statement:

(A) Gauss law can be derived from Coulombs law
(B) Gauss law states that the net number of lines crossing any closed surface in an
outward direction is proportional to the net charge enclosed within the surface
(C) Gauss law applies to a closed surface of any shape
(D) According to Gauss law, if a closed surface encloses no charge, then the electric field
must vanish everywhere on the surface

39. A point particle with charge q is at the center of a Gaussian surface in the form of a cube.
The electric flux through any one face of the cube is:
(A) q/o (B) q/4o (C) q/4o (D) q/6o

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40. If the electric field is in the positive x direction and has a magnitude given by E = Cx2 ,
where C is a constant, then the electric potential is given by V =:
(A) 2Cx (B) -2Cx (C) Cx3 /3 (D) -Cx3 /3

41. If the plate area of an isolated charged parallel-plate capacitor is doubled:

(A) the electric field is doubled
(B) the potential difference is halved
(C) the charge on each plate is halved
(D) the surface charge density on each plate is doubled

42. Capacitor C1 is connected alone to a battery and charged until the magnitude of the
charge on each plate is 4 x 10−8 C. Then it is removed from the battery and connected to
two other capacitors C2 and C3 , as shown. The charge on the positive plate of C1 is then
1 x 10−8 C . The charges on the positive plates of C2 and C3 are:

(A) q2 = 3 x 10−8 C and q3 = 3 x 10−8 C (C) q2 = 5 x 10−8 C and q3 = 1 x 10−8 C

(B) q2 = 2 x 10−8 C and q3 = 2 x 10−8 C (D) q2 = 3 x 10−8 C and q3 = 1 x 10−8 C

43. Capacitors A and B are identical. Capacitor A is charged so it stores 4 J of energy and
capacitor B is uncharged. The capacitors are then connected in parallel. The total stored
energy in the capacitors is now:
(A) 16 J (B) 8 J (C) 4 J (D) 2 J

44. A parallel plate capacitor has plate area of 2000 cm2 and plate separation 1 cm. The
capacitor is connected to a source and charged to a potential difference of 3000 V. A
dielectric of dielectric constant 3.4 fills the space between the plates. What is the energy
density of the capacitor?( o = 8.85 x 10−12 C 2 / N·m2 )
(A) 0.398 J/m3 (B) 2.5 J/m3 (C) 1.353 J/m3 (D) 3.782 J/m3

45. A capacitor of unknown capacitance C is charged to 100 V and connected across an

initially uncharged 60 µF capacitor. If the final potential difference across the 60 µF
capacitor is 40 V, what is C?
(A) 16 µF (B) 80 µF (C) 40 µF (D) 20 µF

46. A 10 V battery is connected to a series of n capacitors, each of capacitance 2 µF. If the

total stored energy is 25 µJ, what is n?
(A) 16 (B) 8 (C) 2 (D) 4

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47. What is the equivalent capacitance of the combination shown?

(A) 12 µF (B) 6.25 µF (C) 18 µF (D) 2.25 µF

48. Two identical point charges +q are located on the y-axis at y = +a and y = -a. What is the
magnitude of the electric field produced by the charges along the x-axis at x = b?
2kqb 2kqa kqb kqa
(A) √
3 2 2
(B) √
3 2 2
(C) √
3 2 2
(D) √
3 2 2
a +b a +b a +b a +b
→
−
49. A surface has the area vector A = (2î + 3ĵ) m2 . What is the flux of a uniform electric field
→
−
through the area if the field is E = 2î N/C?
(A) 6 Nm2 /C (B) 10 Nm2 /C (C) 2 Nm2 /C (D) 4 Nm2 /C

50. In Figure, a central particle of charge -2q is surrounded by a square array of charged
particles, separated by either distance d or d/2 along the perimeter of the square. What
is the magnitude of the net electrostatic force on the central particle due to the other
particles?

kq 2 6kq 2 24kq 2 5kq 2

(A) d2
(B) d2
(C) d2
(D) d2

Prepared By
ASRES MULUGETA