Electrostatic Exercise

LEVEL – I

1. Point charges of magnitude q, 2q and 8q are to be placed on a 9 cm long straight

line. Find the positions where the charges should be placed such that potential
energy of this system is minimum.

2. Water from a metal vessel maintained at a potential of 3 volt falls in spherical

drops 2 mm in diameter through a small hole into a thin walled isolated metal
sphere of diameter 8 cm placed in air until the sphere is filled with water. Ignoring
the thickness of the metal calculate the final potential of the sphere and its
electrical energy.

3. An infinite number of charges each equal to `q’ are placed along the x-axis at
x = 1, x = 2, x = 4, x = 8, and so on. Find the potential and electric field at the
point x = 0 due to this set of charges. What will be the potential and electric field
if in the above set up the consecutive charges have opposite sign?

4. A uniform electric field of strength 106v/m is directed vertically downwards. A

particle of mass 0.01 kg and charge 10-6 coulomb is suspended by an
inextensible thread of length 1m. The particle is displaced slightly from its mean
position and released.
(a) Calculate the time period of its oscillation.
(b) What minimum velocity should be given to the particle at rest so that it
completes a full circle in a vertical plane without the thread getting slack?
(c) Calculate the maximum and minimum tensions in the thread in this situation.

5. Two equal charges q are kept fixed at – a and +a along the x-axis . A particle of
q
mass m and charge is brought to the origin and given a small displacement
2
along the (a) X-axis and (b) Y-axis. Describe quantitatively the motion in two
cases.

6. A strip of length ‘’ having linear charge density ‘’ is placed near a negatively
charged particle ‘P’ of mass ‘m’ and charge ‘-q’ (as shown in the figure) at a
distance ‘d’ from the end ‘A’ of the strip. Find the velocity of ‘P’ as it reaches a
point at the distance d/2 from end ‘A’.
P
-q + + + + + + + + + + +
A B


7. A thin fixed ring of radius ‘R’ and positive charge ‘Q’ is placed in a vertical plane.
A particle of mass ’m’ and charge ‘q’ is placed at the centre of ring. If the particle
is given a small horizontal displacement, show that it executes SHM also find the
time period of small oscillations of this particle, about the centre of ring. (Ignore
gravity)
8. A non-conducting sphere having a cavity as shown R/2
in figure is uniformly charged with volume charge P
R
density . Find the potential at a point P which is at C
a distance of x from C.
x

9. A particle of charge q and mass m moves along the x-axis under the action of an
electric field E = k  cx, where ‘c’ is a positive constant and x is distance from the
point, where particle was initially at rest.
Calculate :
(a) distance travelled by the particle before it comes to rest.
(b) acceleration at the moment, when it comes to rest.

+q
10. Charges +q and q are located at the q
corners of a cuboid as shown in the a
figure. Find the electric potential q
energy of the system. +q
q
a +q

q +q
3a

LEVEL – II

1. (a) Two similar point charges q1 and q2 are placed at a distance r apart in air. If a
dielectric slab of thickness t and dielectric constant k is put between the
charges, calculate the coulomb force of repulsion between them.

(b) If the thickness of the slab covers half the distance between the charges, the
coulomb repulsive force is reduced in the ratio 4 : 9. Calculate the dielectric
constant of the slab.

2. Calculate the electric field at the centre of a y

non-conducting semicircular ring R
of linear charge density  as
O x
shown in the figure.  O


 

3. A small ball of mass 2  103 kg having a charge of 1 C is suspended by a string

of length 0.8 m. Another identical ball having the same charge is kept at the point
of suspension. Determine the minimum horizontal velocity which should be
imparted to the lower ball so that it can make complete revolution in a vertical
circle. Take g = 10 m/s2.
4. Four charges are placed as shown in the cartesian y
co-ordinate system. Calculate the electric field at +q
(0,+a)
point P(0, 0, a)? B

(-a, 0) A +q
x
C -q (0,0, 0) (+a, 0)

D
(0,-a) -q

5. Two hollow concentric conducting spheres of

30 cm
radius 10 cm and 30 cm are insulated. If the inner
sphere is given a charge 10-4 C and outer 10-6 C, P Q R
O
then calculate the intensity at the points P, Q and 10 cm
R which are situated at distance of 5 cm, 20 cm
and 90 cm from the centre respectively.

6. Some equi-potential y (cm)

10V 20 V 30 V 40 V

surfaces are shown in 20 cm

30 cm
300
figure (1) and (2). 10 20 30 40 x (cm)
What can you say
10 cm
about the magnitude
Figure 1 60 V
and direction of the
30 V
electric field? Figure 2
20 V

7. A circular ring of radius R with uniform positive charge q is located in the y-z
plane with its centre at the origin O. A particle of mass m and positive charge q is
 
projected from the point P 3 R ,0,0 on the positive x-axis directly towards O,
with initial speed V. Find the smallest (non zero) value of the speed such that the
particle does not return to P.

8. A very long uniformly charged thread oriented along the axis of a circle of radius
R rests on its centre with one of the ends. The charge of the thread per unit
length is . Find the flux of the vector E across the area enclosing the circle.

9. An Aluminium rod of length  having net charge ‘Q’ is

placed in front of a small charged Aluminium ball of mass /2
‘m’ and charge ‘-q’ at a distance /2 from centre. If the
space between the strip and ball offers negligible
resistance to the motion of ball then find the velocity with 
which it reaches a distance x from the strip. (The charge
distribution on Aluminium rod is uniform and it is fixed).
10. In the arrangement shown in figure,
three concentric conducting shells are
shown. The charge on the shell of
radius b is q0 . If the innermost and
outermost shells are connected to the a
earth, find their charge densities and the b
potential on the shell of radius b in terms
of a and q0. Given that a : b : c = 1 : 2 : 4 c

Hints
LEVEL- I

kq1q2
1. Potential energy =
r
dU
For U to be a minimum, =0
dx

2. q = 40Vr

kq kq kq
3. V=   
1 2 4
kq kq kq
E= 2  2  2 
1 2 4

qE
4 (a) g  g 
m
(b) For minimum velocity consider the extreme case when tension just becomes
zero at the highest point A.
1 1
Conserving energy: mv B2  mv 2A  mg  qE 2  
2 2
(c) Maximum tension is at the lowest point

5. (a) The net force on the particle

 q q 
 qx qx 
1  2  2 
= F
4 0  a  x 2 a  x 2 
 
 
(b) The net force on the particle = 2 Fcos

6. Find the potential at any point and apply energy conservation law.
7. Find the field E at a distance x from the centre of charged ring on the axis.
Consider x << R.

8. Consider negative and positive charge of same volume charge density in the
cavity.
dv dv
9. F = qE, F = v
dt dx

kq1q2
10. Take all possible combination of charges and use .
r12

LEVEL- II

2. Consider two symmetrical elemental charge and calculate their field at O.

 kq 
4. E   3 r . Vector sum of field at P due to all the charges.
r
k 
5. Electric field due to an arc at its centre is 2 sin  .
R 2
Intensity at the centre due to the circular wire is zero.
Apply principle of superposition.
  
6. FA  FAB  FAC
 1 q2   60 o 
  2 cos   in the direction D to A
 4 o a 
2
 2 
For equilibrium
Tcos  = mg
Tsin  = FA

7. By symmetry, horizontal components will cancel among themselves.

8.
9. Find the electric field at a distance x on the perpendicular bisector. Use
symmetry and apply kinematics principle.
10. Potential at the surface of one shell will be due to combination of other shells too.
Answer
LEVEL – I

1. 2q, 8q at the two ends and q at 3cm from 2q

4kq 2kq 4
2. 4800 V, 512  10-7 J 3. 2kq, , , kq
3 3 5

4. (a) 0.6 sec (b) 23.42 m/s (c) 6.588, Zero

5. (a) SHM, (b) continue to move up along the Y-axis

q  d  2  4 0mR 3
6.   7. 2
20m  d    qQ
 
 
4 1 1 2k qk
8. R3 k    9. (a) (b) 
3  x R 2  c m
 x2  
 4 
kq2   1 1 
10. Potential energy = 2 2  4  1   
a   3 5  

LEVEL – II

q1 q 2 q
1. (a) F = (b) k = 4 7.

4 0 r  t  t k 
2
40mR
R
2k 8.
2. 2 0
R
3. 5.86 m/s Qq ln(  / 2x )
 9.
4. Enet 
kq
2a2

 ˆi  ˆj  2 0 m
q0
5. 0, 2.25 x 107N/C, 1.12 x 106 N/C 10. inner   ,
12a2
6
6. (i)200 V/m (ii) 2 q0 q0
r outer =  ,
96 a 2
24 0a