CHAPTER 2

ELECTRIC POTENTIAL AND CAPACITANCE

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

1. A positively charged particle is released from rest in an uniform electric

field. The electric potential energy of the charge
(a) remains a constant because the electric field is uniform.
(b) increases because the charge moves along the electric field.
(c) decreases because the charge moves along the electric field.
(d) decreases because the charge moves opposite to the electric field.
2. Two small spheres each carrying a charge q are placed r metre apart. If
one of the spheres is taken around the other one in a circular path of
radius r, the work done will be equal to
(a) force between them × r
(b) force between them × 2πr
(c) force between them/2πr
(d) zero
3. The electric potential V at any point O (x, y, z all in metres) in space is
given by V = 4x² volt. The electric field at the point (1 m, 0, 2 m) in
volt/metre is
(a) 8 along negative x-axis
(b) 8 along positive x-axis
(c) 16 along negative x-axis
(d) 16 along positive z-axis
4. The electrostatic force between the metal plates of an isolated parallel
plate capacitor C having a charge Q and area A, is
(a) proportional to the square root of the distance between the plates.
(b) linearly proportional to the distance between the plates.
(c) independent of the distance between the plates.
(d) inversely proportional to the distance between the plates.
5. A capacitor is charged by a battery. The battery is removed and another
identical uncharged capacitor is connected in parallel. The total
electrostatic energy of resulting system
(a) increases by a factor of 4.
(b) decreases by a factor of 2.
(c) remains the same.
(d) increases by a factor of 2.
6. Which of the following options is correct? In a region of constant
potential
 (a) the electric field is uniform.
(b) the electric field is zero.
(c) there can be charge inside the region .
(d) the electric field shall necessarily change if a charge is placed outside
the region.
7. A parallel plate condenser is connected with the terminals of a battery.
The distance between the plates is 6mm. If a glass plate (dielectric
constant K = 9) of 4.5 mm is introduced between them, then the capacity
will become
(a) 2 times.
(b) the same.
(c) 3 times.
(d) 4 times.
8. Three charges Q, +q and +q are placed at the vertices of an equilateral
triangle of side l as shown in the figure. If the net electrostatic energy of
the system is zero, then Q is equal to

(a) -q
(b) +q
(c) zero
(d) –
9. Two metal plates form a parallel plate capacitor. The distance between
the plates is d. A metal sheet of thickness   and of the same area is
introduced between the plates.
What is the ratio of the capacitance in the two cases?
(a) 1 : 2
(b) 3 : 1
(c) 2 : 1
(d) 5 : 1

10. A capacitor of 4 µF is connected as shown in the circuit. The emf and

internal resistance of the battery are 5v and 0.5ohm. The amount of
charge on the capacitor plates will be
 (a) 0
(b) 4
(c) 16 μC
(d) 8 μC
11. 1 volt is equivalent to

12. Equipotential surfaces

(a) are closer in regions of large electric fields compared to regions of
lower electric fields.
(b) will be more crowded near sharp edges of a conductor.
(c) will always be equally spaced.
(d) both (a) and (b) are correct.
13. A unit negative charge is moved from lower potential point to a higher
potential point. The potential energy of the charge will
(a) remain the same
(b) increase
(c) decrease
(d) become zero
14. An electric dipole of moment   is placed in a uniform electric field   .
Then
(i) the torque on the dipole is 
(ii) the potential energy of the system is 
(iii) the resultant force on the dipole is zero. Choose the correct option.
(a) (i), (ii) and (iii) are correct
(b) (i) and (iii) are correct and (ii) is wrong
(c) only (i) is correct
(d) (i) and (ii) are correct and (iii) is wrong
15. Which of the following statements is false for a perfect conductor?
(a) The surface of the conductor is an equipotential surface.
(b) The electric field just outside the surface of a conductor is
 perpendicular to the surface.
(c) The charge carried by a conductor is always uniformly distributed
over the surface of the conductor.
(d) None of these
16. Dielectric constant for a metal is
(a) zero
(b) infinite
(c) 1
(d) 10
17. Name the physical quantity whose SI unit is F m-1 (farad/metre).
(a) dielectric constant
(b) permittivity
(c) capacitance
(d) none of these
18. Figure given below shows three points A, B and C in a uniform electrostatic
field. At which of the points will the electric potential be maximum?

(a)A
(b)B
(c)C
(d)same at all points
19. A point charge Q is placed at point O as shown in the figure. Is the potential
difference VA – VB positive, negative or zero, if Q is (i) positive (ii)
negative?

(a) positive,negative
(b) negative,positive
(c) positive,positive
(d) negative,negative
20. Give the sign of the work done by the field in moving a small positive
charge from Q to P

(a) positive
(b) negative
 (c) zero
(d) may positive or negative
ASSERTION REASON QUESTIONS
For question numbers 1 to 5, two statements are given-one labelled Assertion
(A) and the other labelled Reason (R). Select the correct answer to these
questions from the codes (a), (b), (c) and (d) as given below.

a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A

b) Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A
c) A is true but R is false
d) A is false and R is also false

1. Assertion(A): A metal plate is introduced between the plates of a charged

parallel plate capacitor, its capacitance increased.
Reason(R): A metal plate is introduced between the plates of a charged parallel
plate capacitor, the effective separation between the plates is decreased.
2. Assertion(A): In the presence of external electric field the net electric field
within the conductor becomes zero.
Reason(R): In the presence of external electric field the free charge carriers
move and charge distribution in the conductor adjusts itself.
3. Assertion (A): Sensitive instruments can protect from outside electrical
influence by enclosing them in a hollow conductor.
Reason(R): Potential inside the cavity is zero
4. Assertion(A): Electrostatic forces are conservative in nature.
Reason(R): Work done by electrostatic force is path dependent.
5. Assertion(A): Work done by the electrostatic force in bringing the unit positive
Charge form infinity to the point P is positive.
Reason(R): The force on a unit positive test charge is attractive, so that the
electrostatic force and the displacement (from infinity to P) are in the same
direction.
CASE STUDY BASED QUESTIONS
1. The electric field inside the cavity is zero, whatever be the size and shape of the
cavity and whatever be the charge on the conductor and the external fields in
which it might be placed. The electric field inside a charged spherical shell is
zero. But the vanishing of electric field in the (chargis, as mentioned above, a
very general result. A related result is that even if the conductor is charged or
charges are induced on a neutral conductor by an external field, all charges
reside only on the outer surface of a conductor with cavity.

The proofs of the results noted in Fig. are omitted here, but we note their
important implication. Whatever be the charge and field configuration outside,
any cavity in a conductor remains shielded from outside electric influence: the
field inside the cavity is always zero. This is known as electrostatic shielding.
The effect can be made use of in protecting sensitive instruments from outside
electrical influence. e-free) cavity of a conductor

(1) A metallic shell having inner radius R1 and outer radii R2 has a point charge
Q kept inside cavity. Electric field in the region R1 < r < R2 where r is the
distance from the centre is given by
(a) depends on the value of r
(b) Zero
(c) Constant and nonzero everywhere
(d) None of the above
(2) The electric field inside the cavity is depend on
(a) Size of the cavity
(b) Shape of the cavity
(c) Charge on the conductor
(d) None of the above
(3) Electrostatic shielding is based
(a) electric field inside the cavity of a conductor is less than zero
(b) electric field inside the cavity of a conductor is zero
(c) electric field inside the cavity of a conductor is greater than zero
(d) electric field inside the cavity of a plastic is zero
(4) During the lightning thunderstorm, it is advised to stay
(a) inside the car
(b) under trees
(c) in the open ground
(d) on the car
(5) Which of the following material can be used to make a Faraday cage (based
on electrostatic shielding)
(a) Plastic
 (b) Glass
(c) Copper
(d) Wood

2. When an insulator is placed in an external field, the dipoles become

aligned. Induced surface charges on the insulator establish a polarization
field Ēi in its interior. The net field Ē in the insulator is the vector sum of
Ē, and Ēi as shown in the figure.

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On the application of external electric field, the effect of aligning the electric
dipoles in the insulator is called
polarisation and the field Ē; is known as the polarisation field.
The dipole moment per unit volume of the dielectric is known
as polarisation (P).
For linear isotropic dielectrics, P =χE, where χ = electrical susceptibility of the
dielectric medium.

(i) Which among the following is an example of polar molecule?

(2) O₂
(b) H
(c) N2
(d) HCI

(ii) When air is replaced by a dielectric medium of constant K, the

maximum force of attraction between two charges separated by a distance
(a) increases K times
(b) remains unchanged
(c) decreases K times
(d) increases 2K times.

(iii) Which of the following is a dielectric?

(a) Copper
(b) Glass
(c) Antimony (Sb)
(d) None of these

(iv) For a polar molecule, which of the following statements is true ?

(a) The centre of gravity of electrons and protons coincide.
(b) The centre of gravity of electrons and protons do not coincide.
(c) The charge distribution is always symmetrical.
(d) The dipole moment is always zero.

(v) When a comb rubbed with dry hair attracts pieces of paper. This is
because the
(a) comb polarizes the piece of paper
(b) comb induces a net dipole moment opposite to the direction of field
(c) electric field due to the comb is uniform
(d) comb induces a net dipole moment perpendicular to the direction of field

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