NCERT Solutions Class 12 Physics Chapter 1 Electric Charges and Fields
Electric Charges and Fields studies static charges, Coulomb force, electric field, electric flux, dipoles and Gauss’s law. NCERT Solutions Class 12 Physics Chapter 1 connect these concepts with numerical problems, vector reasoning and board-level electrostatics answers.
Class 12 Physics Chapter 1 begins electrostatics with everyday events like sparks from synthetic clothes, lightning and mild shocks after sliding on seats. The chapter then explains the science behind these observations through charge, conductors, insulators, Coulomb’s law, electric field, flux, dipoles and Gauss’s law.
For CBSE 2026-27 board exams, this chapter is important because questions usually test formula choice, unit conversion and direction-based reasoning. These NCERT Solutions Class 12 Physics Chapter 1 answers help students solve the textbook questions step by step without losing marks in powers of ten, signs or vector direction.
Key Takeaways
- Charge: Electric charge is conserved and quantised as q = ne.
- Coulomb’s law: Force between two point charges varies as 1/r².
- Electric field: Electric field is force per unit positive test charge.
- Gauss’s law: Net electric flux through a closed surface is q/ε₀.
NCERT Solutions Class 12 Physics Chapter 1 Structure 2026-27
| Exercise No. | Topic | Question Count |
| 1.1 to 1.8 | Charge, Coulomb’s law and electric field | 8 |
| 1.9 to 1.13 | Dipole, torque and charged particle tracks | 5 |
| 1.14 to 1.23 | Flux, Gauss’s law and charge density | 10 |
NCERT Solutions Class 12 Physics Chapter 1 Exercise Answers
The 2026-27 NCERT exercise set for Class 12 Physics Chapter 1 has numerical and conceptual questions from Electric Charges and Fields. These class 12 physics chapter 1 solutions use SI units, direct substitutions and final answer statements.
Q1. What is the force between two small charged spheres having charges 2 × 10⁻⁷ C and 3 × 10⁻⁷ C placed 30 cm apart in air?
The force between the two charged spheres is 6.0 × 10⁻³ N.
Given:
q₁ = 2 × 10⁻⁷ C
q₂ = 3 × 10⁻⁷ C
r = 30 cm = 0.30 m
Using Coulomb’s law:
F = kq₁q₂/r²
F = (9 × 10⁹ × 2 × 10⁻⁷ × 3 × 10⁻⁷)/(0.30)²
F = 6.0 × 10⁻³ N
The force is repulsive if both charges have the same sign.
Q2. The electrostatic force on a small sphere of charge 0.4 μC due to another small sphere of charge -0.8 μC in air is 0.2 N. Find the distance between the spheres and the force on the second sphere.
The distance between the two spheres is 0.12 m.
Given:
q₁ = 0.4 μC = 0.4 × 10⁻⁶ C
q₂ = -0.8 μC = -0.8 × 10⁻⁶ C
F = 0.2 N
Using Coulomb’s law:
F = k|q₁q₂|/r²
r² = k|q₁q₂|/F
r² = (9 × 10⁹ × 0.4 × 10⁻⁶ × 0.8 × 10⁻⁶)/0.2
r² = 1.44 × 10⁻²
r = 0.12 m
The force on the second sphere is also 0.2 N. It acts opposite to the force on the first sphere.
Q3. Check that the ratio ke²/Gmₑmₚ is dimensionless. What does the ratio signify?
The ratio ke²/Gmₑmₚ is dimensionless because it compares electric force and gravitational force.
For an electron and proton separated by distance r:
Electric force:
Fₑ = ke²/r²
Gravitational force:
Fᵍ = Gmₑmₚ/r²
So,
Fₑ/Fᵍ = ke²/Gmₑmₚ
The r² term cancels. Hence, the ratio has no unit.
Using standard values:
Fₑ/Fᵍ ≈ 2.4 × 10³⁹
This means electric force between an electron and proton is about 2.4 × 10³⁹ times stronger than their gravitational force.
Q4. Explain the meaning of the statement electric charge of a body is quantised. Why can quantisation be ignored for macroscopic charges?
Electric charge is quantised because charge on a body is always an integral multiple of electronic charge.
q = ne
Here, n is an integer and e = 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C.
A body cannot have charge like 0.5e or 2.3e. It can have charges like e, 2e, -3e and so on.
For macroscopic charges, e is extremely small. A charge of 1 μC contains nearly 10¹³ electronic charges.
So, charge appears continuous at large scale. Quantisation has no practical effect in ordinary electrostatic calculations.
Q5. When a glass rod is rubbed with silk cloth, charges appear on both. Explain how this is consistent with conservation of charge.
Rubbing transfers electrons from one body to another. It does not create new charge.
When a glass rod is rubbed with silk, electrons move from the glass rod to the silk cloth. The glass rod becomes positively charged.
The silk cloth gains electrons and becomes negatively charged. The magnitudes of charges are equal and opposite.
Total charge before rubbing was zero. Total charge after rubbing also remains zero.
This agrees with the law of conservation of charge.
Q6. Four point charges are placed at the corners of a square. What is the force on a 1 μC charge at the centre?
The net force on the charge at the centre is zero.
The charges at opposite corners are equal. Charges at A and C are both +2 μC.
Their forces on the central charge are equal and opposite. So, they cancel.
Charges at B and D are both -5 μC. Their forces are also equal and opposite.
So, the total force on the central charge is:
Fnet = 0
The symmetry of the square makes the resultant force zero.
Q7. Why is an electrostatic field line continuous? Why do two field lines never cross?
An electrostatic field line is continuous because electric field has a definite direction at every point in space.
A sudden break would mean the electric field has no direction at that point. That is not possible in a normal charge-free region.
Two field lines never cross because a crossing point would have two tangents. That means the electric field would have two directions at one point.
Electric field at a point has only one direction. Hence, two field lines cannot cross.
Q8. Two point charges +3 μC and -3 μC are located 20 cm apart in vacuum. Find the electric field at the midpoint and force on a negative test charge.
The electric field at the midpoint is 5.4 × 10⁶ N/C towards the negative charge.
Distance of midpoint from each charge:
r = 10 cm = 0.10 m
Electric field due to one charge:
E = kq/r²
E = (9 × 10⁹ × 3 × 10⁻⁶)/(0.10)²
E = 2.7 × 10⁶ N/C
At the midpoint, both fields act from positive charge towards negative charge.
Enet = 2E
Enet = 5.4 × 10⁶ N/C
For a negative test charge:
q = -1.5 × 10⁻⁹ C
F = qE
|F| = 1.5 × 10⁻⁹ × 5.4 × 10⁶
|F| = 8.1 × 10⁻³ N
The force acts opposite to the electric field, towards the positive charge.
Q9. A system has charges 2.5 × 10⁻⁷ C and -2.5 × 10⁻⁷ C at (0,0,-15 cm) and (0,0,+15 cm). Find total charge and dipole moment.
The total charge of the system is zero.
qA = +2.5 × 10⁻⁷ C
qB = -2.5 × 10⁻⁷ C
Total charge:
qA + qB = 0
The separation between charges is:
2a = 30 cm = 0.30 m
Dipole moment:
p = q × 2a
p = 2.5 × 10⁻⁷ × 0.30
p = 7.5 × 10⁻⁸ C m
The dipole moment is directed from negative charge to positive charge. So, it points along the negative z-axis.
Q10. An electric dipole of moment 4 × 10⁻⁹ C m is aligned at 30° with an electric field of 5 × 10⁴ N/C. Find torque.
The torque on the dipole is 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ N m.
Given:
p = 4 × 10⁻⁹ C m
E = 5 × 10⁴ N/C
θ = 30°
Torque:
τ = pE sin θ
τ = 4 × 10⁻⁹ × 5 × 10⁴ × sin 30°
τ = 4 × 10⁻⁹ × 5 × 10⁴ × 0.5
τ = 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ N m
Q11. A polythene piece rubbed with wool has a negative charge of 3 × 10⁻⁷ C. Estimate the number of electrons transferred. Is mass transferred?
The number of electrons transferred is about 1.875 × 10¹².
Given:
q = 3 × 10⁻⁷ C
e = 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C
Number of electrons:
n = q/e
n = (3 × 10⁻⁷)/(1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹)
n = 1.875 × 10¹²
Since polythene becomes negatively charged, electrons move from wool to polythene.
Yes, a tiny mass is transferred with electrons.
Mass transferred:
m = nme
m = 1.875 × 10¹² × 9.11 × 10⁻³¹
m ≈ 1.7 × 10⁻¹⁸ kg
This mass is extremely small.
Q12. Two copper spheres have charges 6.5 × 10⁻⁷ C each and centres 50 cm apart. Find repulsive force. What if charges are doubled and distance is halved?
The original electrostatic force is 1.52 × 10⁻² N.
Given:
q = 6.5 × 10⁻⁷ C
r = 0.50 m
Using Coulomb’s law:
F = kq²/r²
F = [9 × 10⁹ × (6.5 × 10⁻⁷)²]/(0.50)²
F = 1.52 × 10⁻² N
If each charge is doubled, the force becomes four times. If distance is halved, force becomes four times again.
New force:
F′ = 16F
F′ = 16 × 1.52 × 10⁻²
F′ = 0.243 N
Q13. A figure shows tracks of three charged particles in a uniform electrostatic field. Give the signs and highest charge-to-mass ratio.
The particle bending in the direction of the electric field has positive charge. The particle bending opposite to the electric field has negative charge.
A particle that remains undeflected has no charge. Its electrostatic force is zero.
The particle with the sharpest bending has the highest charge-to-mass ratio. This is because acceleration in an electric field is:
a = qE/m
So, greater bending means greater value of q/m.
Q14. Consider a uniform electric field E = 3 × 10³ î N/C. Find flux through a square of side 10 cm.
The flux is 30 N m²/C when the square’s plane is parallel to the yz-plane.
Area:
A = (0.10)²
A = 0.01 m²
For the yz-plane, the area vector is along the x-axis.
Flux:
ϕ = EA cos 0°
ϕ = 3 × 10³ × 0.01
ϕ = 30 N m²/C
If the normal makes 60° with the x-axis:
ϕ = EA cos 60°
ϕ = 30 × 0.5
ϕ = 15 N m²/C
Q15. What is the net flux of the uniform electric field of Q14 through a cube of side 20 cm?
The net flux through the cube is zero.
A uniform electric field enters through one face and leaves through the opposite face.
The incoming flux and outgoing flux are equal in magnitude. They have opposite signs.
So,
ϕnet = 0
This also follows from Gauss’s law because no charge is enclosed inside the cube.
Q16. Net outward flux through a black box is 8.0 × 10³ N m²/C. Find net charge inside. If flux were zero, would there be no charges inside?
The net charge inside the box is 7.08 × 10⁻⁸ C.
Using Gauss’s law:
ϕ = q/ε₀
q = ε₀ϕ
q = 8.854 × 10⁻¹² × 8.0 × 10³
q = 7.08 × 10⁻⁸ C
If net outward flux is zero, net charge inside is zero. It does not mean there are no charges inside.
There may be equal positive and negative charges inside. Their total charge may be zero.
Q17. A point charge +10 μC is 5 cm above the centre of a square of side 10 cm. Find flux through the square.
The flux through the square is 1.88 × 10⁵ N m²/C.
Think of the square as one face of a cube of side 10 cm. The charge is at the centre of this cube.
Total flux through the cube:
ϕ = q/ε₀
The cube has six equal faces. So flux through one face is:
ϕface = q/6ε₀
ϕface = (10 × 10⁻⁶)/(6 × 8.854 × 10⁻¹²)
ϕface = 1.88 × 10⁵ N m²/C
Q18. A point charge of 2.0 μC is at the centre of a cubic Gaussian surface. Find net flux.
The net electric flux through the surface is 2.26 × 10⁵ N m²/C.
Using Gauss’s law:
ϕ = q/ε₀
q = 2.0 × 10⁻⁶ C
ϕ = (2.0 × 10⁻⁶)/(8.854 × 10⁻¹²)
ϕ = 2.26 × 10⁵ N m²/C
The size of the cube does not affect total flux.
Q19. A point charge causes an electric flux of -1.0 × 10³ N m²/C through a spherical Gaussian surface. What happens if radius is doubled? Find charge.
The flux remains -1.0 × 10³ N m²/C when the radius is doubled.
Gauss’s law depends only on enclosed charge. It does not depend on the radius of the Gaussian surface.
Charge:
q = ε₀ϕ
q = 8.854 × 10⁻¹² × (-1.0 × 10³)
q = -8.854 × 10⁻⁹ C
The point charge is negative.
Q20. A conducting sphere of radius 10 cm has an unknown charge. Electric field 20 cm from centre is 1.5 × 10³ N/C inward. Find charge.
The net charge on the sphere is -6.67 × 10⁻⁹ C.
For a conducting sphere, outside field acts as if charge is at the centre.
E = kq/r²
q = Er²/k
Given:
E = 1.5 × 10³ N/C
r = 0.20 m
q = [1.5 × 10³ × (0.20)²]/(9 × 10⁹)
q = 6.67 × 10⁻⁹ C
The field is radially inward. So the charge is negative.
q = -6.67 × 10⁻⁹ C
Q21. A uniformly charged conducting sphere has diameter 2.4 m and surface charge density 80.0 μC/m². Find charge and flux.
The charge on the sphere is 1.45 × 10⁻³ C.
Radius:
r = 1.2 m
Surface area:
A = 4πr²
A = 4π(1.2)²
A = 18.1 m²
Charge:
q = σA
q = 80.0 × 10⁻⁶ × 18.1
q = 1.45 × 10⁻³ C
Total flux:
ϕ = q/ε₀
ϕ = (1.45 × 10⁻³)/(8.854 × 10⁻¹²)
ϕ = 1.64 × 10⁸ N m²/C
Q22. An infinite line charge produces a field of 9 × 10⁴ N/C at 2 cm. Find linear charge density.
The linear charge density is about 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ C/m.
For an infinite line charge:
E = λ/2πε₀r
So,
λ = E × 2πε₀r
Given:
E = 9 × 10⁴ N/C
r = 2 cm = 0.02 m
λ = 9 × 10⁴ × 2π × 8.854 × 10⁻¹² × 0.02
λ ≈ 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ C/m
Q23. Two large, thin metal plates are parallel and close to each other. The inner faces have surface charge densities of opposite signs and magnitude 17.0 × 10⁻²² C/m². What is E outside and between the plates?
The electric field outside both plates is zero.
For two oppositely charged large plates, fields outside cancel. Fields between the plates add.
Outside the first plate:
E = 0
Outside the second plate:
E = 0
Between the plates:
E = σ/ε₀
E = (17.0 × 10⁻²²)/(8.854 × 10⁻¹²)
E = 1.92 × 10⁻¹⁰ N/C
The field between the plates is directed from the positively charged plate to the negatively charged plate.
Class 12 Physics Chapter 1 Concepts Behind the NCERT Solutions
Class 12 Physics Chapter 1 uses electrostatic laws to explain how charges interact at rest. These concepts help students solve electric charges and fields ncert solutions with correct signs, units and directions.
Electric Charge and Its Properties
Electric charge is a physical property that causes electric force. There are two kinds of charge, positive and negative.
Like charges repel each other. Unlike charges attract each other.
The three basic properties of electric charge are additivity, conservation and quantisation. These properties appear in both conceptual and numerical questions.
Coulomb’s Law Class 12
Coulomb’s law gives the force between two point charges. It applies when charge sizes are very small compared with separation.
The formula is:
F = (1/4πε₀) × q₁q₂/r²
For magnitude:
F = k|q₁q₂|/r²
Here, k = 9 × 10⁹ N m²/C².
Electric Field Class 12
Electric field at a point is force per unit positive test charge. It tells how a source charge affects the space around it.
The formula is:
E = F/q
For a point charge:
E = kq/r²
Electric field is outward for positive charge. It is inward for negative charge.
Electric Flux Class 12
Electric flux measures how much electric field passes through a surface. It depends on field strength, area and angle.
The formula is:
ϕ = EA cos θ
For a closed surface, flux is linked with enclosed charge through Gauss’s law.
ϕ = q/ε₀
Flux becomes zero when no net charge is enclosed.
Electric Dipole Class 12
An electric dipole consists of two equal and opposite charges separated by a small distance. Its total charge is zero.
Dipole moment is:
p = q × 2a
The direction of dipole moment is from negative charge to positive charge.
Torque on a dipole in a uniform electric field is:
τ = pE sin θ
Gauss Law Class 12
Gauss’s law connects electric flux through a closed surface with net enclosed charge. It is useful for symmetrical charge distributions.
The formula is:
∮ E · dS = q/ε₀
It is used for charged spheres, infinite line charges and large charged sheets.
Gauss’s law depends on net enclosed charge. It does not depend on the shape or size of the Gaussian surface.
Important Formulas in NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Physics Chapter 1
Class 12 Physics Chapter 1 numericals depend on a small set of formulas used repeatedly. Students should check units before substituting values.
NCERT Solutions Class 12 Physics Chapter 1 Formula Sheet
| Concept | Formula | Use |
| Coulomb’s Law | F = kq₁q₂/r² | Force between charges |
| Electric Field | E = F/q | Field at a point |
| Electric Flux | ϕ = EA cos θ | Flux through surface |
Quantisation of Charge
Charge on a body is always an integral multiple of electronic charge.
q = ne
Here, e = 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C.
Coulomb’s Law
Force between two point charges is:
F = (1/4πε₀) × q₁q₂/r²
For magnitude:
F = k|q₁q₂|/r²
Electric Field Due to Point Charge
Electric field due to a point charge is:
E = kq/r²
For positive charge, field is radially outward. For negative charge, field is radially inward.
Electric Flux
Electric flux through a flat surface is:
ϕ = E · A
ϕ = EA cos θ
The SI unit is N m²/C.
Dipole Moment
Dipole moment is:
p = q × 2a
Its SI unit is C m.
Torque on Electric Dipole
Torque on an electric dipole in a uniform field is:
τ = pE sin θ
Torque is maximum when θ = 90°.
Gauss’s Law
Gauss’s law is:
∮ E · dS = q/ε₀
It is used to find electric field for symmetric charge distributions.
Electric Field Due to Infinite Line Charge
The electric field due to an infinite line charge is:
E = λ/2πε₀r
Here, λ is linear charge density.
Electric Field Due to Infinite Plane Sheet
The electric field due to an infinite plane sheet is:
E = σ/2ε₀
For two oppositely charged large plates, the field between plates is:
E = σ/ε₀
Q.1 What is the force between two small charged spheres having charges of 2 × 10−7 C and 3 × 10−7 C placed 30 cm apart in air?
Ans.
Q.2 The electrostatic force on a small sphere of charge 0.4 μC due to another small sphere of charge − 0.8 μC in air is 0.2 N.
(a) What is the distance between the two spheres?
(b) What is the force on the second sphere due to the first?
Ans.
Q.3 Check that the ratio ke2/Gmemp is dimensionless. Look up a Table of Physical Constants and determine the value of this ratio. What does the ratio signify?
Ans.
Q.4 (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 i.e., large scale charges?
Ans.
(a) Electric charge of a body is quantized means that only integral (1, 2, …., n) number of elementary charge can be transferred from one body to the other. The elementary charge is charge on an electron or a proton which cannot be transferred in fraction.
(b) At macroscopic level, the charges used are enormous as compared to the magnitude of electric charge. Thus, quantization of charge can be ignored and can be considered as continuous charge.
Q.5 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.
Ans.
When a glass rod is rubbed with a silk cloth, charges of equal magnitude but of opposite nature appear on the two bodiesas the charges are created in pairs. The algebraic sum of charges produced on the two rubbed bodies is zero. The net charge on the two bodies before rubbing was also zero. Therefore, this phenomenon is consistent with the law of conservation of energy. The similar phenomenon is observed with many other pairs of bodies.
Q.6 Four point charges qA = 2 μC, qB = −5 μC, qC = 2 μC, and qD = −5 μC are located at the corners of a square ABCD of side 10 cm. What is the force on a charge of 1 μC placed at the centre of the square?
Ans.

Force of repulsion on 1 μC charge because of 2 μC charges at A and C are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction. Therefore, they cancel each other.
Similarly, force of attraction on 1 μC charge because of -5 μC charges at A and C are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction. Therefore, they also cancel each other.
Therefore, net force on 1 μC charge at centre S is zero.
Q.7 (a) An electrostatic field line is a continuous curve. That is, a field line cannot have sudden breaks. Why not?
(b) Explain why two field lines never cross each other at any point?
Ans.
(a) An electrostatic field line is a continuous curve because it represents the actual path of the unit positive charge which experiences a continuous force in an electrostatic field. It cannot have sudden breaks because the charge moves continuously and does not jump from one point to the other.
(b) If two field lines cross each other at a point, then electric field will show two directions at that point. This is impossible. Therefore, two field lines never cross each other at any point.
Q.8 Two point charges qA = 3 μC and qB = −3 μC are located 20 cm apart in vacuum.
(a) What is the electric field at the midpoint O of the line AB joining the two charges?
(b) If a negative test charge of magnitude 1.5 × 10−9 C is placed at this point, what is the force experienced by the test charge?
Ans.

Q.9 A system has two charges qA = 2.5 × 10−7 C and qB = −2.5 × 10−7 C located at points A: (0, 0, − 15 cm) and B: (0, 0, + 15 cm), respectively. What are the total charge and electric dipole moment of the system?
Ans.

Q.10 An electric dipole with dipole moment 4 × 10−9 C m is aligned at 30° with the direction of a uniform electric field of magnitude 5 × 104 N C−1. Calculate the magnitude of the torque acting on the dipole.
Ans.
Q.11 A polythene piece rubbed with wool is found to have a negative charge of 3 × 10−7 C.
(a) Estimate the number of electrons transferred (from which to which?)
(b) Is there a transfer of mass from wool to polythene?
Ans.
Q.12 (a) Two insulated charged copper spheres A and B have their centers separated by a distance of 50 cm. What is the mutual force of electrostatic repulsion if the charge on each is 6.5 × 10−7 C? The radii of A and B are negligible compared to the distance of separation.
(b) What is the force of repulsion if each sphere is charged double the above amount, and the distance between them is halved?
Ans.
Q.13 Suppose the spheres A and B in Exercise 1.12 have identical sizes. A third sphere of the same size but uncharged is brought in contact with the first, then brought in contact with the second, and finally removed from both. What is the new force of repulsion between A and B?
Ans.
Q.14 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?

Ans.
As opposite charges attract each other and same charges repel each other. Therefore, particle 1 and particle 2 are negatively charged and particle 3 is positively charged.
The displacement or the amount of deflection for a given velocity is directly proportional to the charge to mass ratio (emf). As the deflection of particle 3 is the maximum, therefore it has the highest charge to mass ratio.
Q.15
Ans.
Q.16 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?
Ans.
Since all the faces of a cube are parallel to the coordinate axes, therefore, the number of field lines entering the cube is equal to the number of field lines piercing out of the cube. Therefore, net flux through the cube is zero.
Q.17 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 8.0 × 103 N m2C-1.
(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?
Ans.
Q.18 A point charge +10 μC is a distance 5 cm directly above the centre of a square of side 10 cm, as shown in Fig. 1.34. What is the magnitude of the electric flux through the square? (Hint: Think of the square as one face of a cube with edge 10 cm.)
Ans.

The square of side 10 cm can be considered as one face of a cube of edge 10 cm with a centre where charge q is placed. According to Gauss’s theorem, total electric flux through all the six faces of the cube is given as:
Q.19 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?
Ans.
Q.20 A conducting sphere of radius 10 cm has an unknown charge. If the electric field 20 cm from the centre of the sphere is 1.5 × 103 NC-1 and points radially inward, what is the net charge on the sphere?
Ans.
Q.21 A point charge causes an electric flux of −1.0 × 103 Nm2C-1 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 through the surface?
(b) What is the value of the point charge?
Ans.
Q.22 A uniformly charged conducting sphere of 2.4 m diameter has a surface charge density of 80.0 μCm-2.
(a) Find the charge on the sphere.
(b) What is the total electric flux leaving the surface of the sphere?
Ans.
Q.23 An infinite line charge produces a field of 9 × 104 NC-1 at a distance of 2 cm. Calculate the linear charge density.
Ans.
Q.24
Ans.

The situation of the problem is represented in the given figure.
Here, A and B are two parallel plates close to each other. Outer region of plate A is labeled as I, the region between the plates, A and B, is labelled as II and outer region of plate B is labelled as III.
Q.25 An oil drop of 12 excess electrons is held stationary under a constant electric field of 2.55 × 104 NC−1 in Millikan’s oil drop experiment. The density of the oil is 1.26 gcm−3. Estimate the radius of the drop. (g = 9.81 ms−2; e = 1.60 × 10−19 C).
Ans.
Q.26 Which among the curves shown in Fig. 1.35 cannot possibly represent electrostatic field lines?

Ans.
(a) As the field lines must be normal to the surface of the conductor, therefore, the field lines showed in figure (a) do not represent electrostatic field lines.
(b) As the electrostatic field lines do not start from a negative charge, therefore, the field lines showed in figure (b) do not represent electrostatic field lines.
(c) Since the field lines emerge from the positive charges and repel each other, therefore, the field lines showed in figure (c) represent electrostatic field lines.
(d) As two electrostatic field lines cannot intersect each other, therefore, the field lines showed in figure (d) do not represent electrostatic field lines.
(e) The field lines showed in figure (e) do not represent electrostatic field lines because electrostatic field lines never form closed loops.
Q.27 In a certain region of space, electric field is along the z-direction throughout. The magnitude of electric field is, however, not constant but increases uniformly along the positive z-direction, at the rate of 105 NC−1 per metre. What are the force and torque experienced by a system having a total dipole moment equal to 10−7 C-m in the negative z-direction?
Ans.
Here, dipole moment of the system, p = q × dl = −10−7 Cm
The rate of increase of electric field per unit length ,
Q.28 (a) A conductor A with a cavity as shown in Fig. 1.36(a) is given a charge Q. Show that the entire charge must appear on the outer surface of the conductor.
(b) Another conductor B with charge q is inserted into the cavity keeping B insulated from A. Show that the total charge on the outside surface of A is Q + q [Fig.1.36(b)].
(c) A sensitive instrument is to be shielded from the strong electrostatic fields in its environment. Suggest a possible way.

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(a) Consider a Gaussian surface lying wholly within a conductor and enclosing the cavity. The electric field intensity E inside the charged conductor is zero.
(b) Another conductor B having charge +q is inserted inside conductor A and it is insulated from A. Therefore, a charge of amount −q will be induced in the inner surface of conductor A and +q is induced on the outer surface of conductor A. Since the outer surface of conductor A has originally a charge of amount Q, therefore, total charge on the outer surface of conductor A becomes Q + q.
(c) A sensitive instrument can be shielded from the strong electrostatic field in its environment by enclosing it in a metallic cover.
Q.29 A hollow charged conductor has a tiny hole cut into its surface. Show that the electric field in the hole is, where is the unit vector in the outward normal direction, and is the surface charge density near the hole.
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Q.30 Obtain the formula for the electric field due to a long thin wire of uniform linear charge density λ without using Gauss’s law. [Hint: Use Coulomb’s law directly and evaluate the necessary integral.]
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Consider a long thin wire AB (as shown in the figure) of uniform linear charge density λ.
Take a point S at a perpendicular distance l from the mid-point O of the wire, as shown in the given figure.
Q.31 It is now established that protons and neutrons (which constitute nuclei of ordinary matter) are themselves built out of more elementary units called quarks. A proton and a neutron consist of three quarks each. Two types of quarks, the so called ‘up’ quark (denoted by u) of charge (+2/3) e, and the ‘down’ quark (denoted by d) of charge (−1/3) e, together with electrons build up ordinary matter. (Quarks of other types have also been found which give rise to different unusual varieties of matter.) Suggest a possible quark composition of a proton and neutron.
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Q.32 (a) Consider an arbitrary electrostatic field configuration. A small test charge is placed at a null point (i.e., where E = 0) of the configuration. Show that the equilibrium of the test charge is necessarily unstable.
(b) Verify this result for the simple configuration of two charges of the same magnitude and sign placed a certain distance apart.
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(a) Suppose the equilibrium of the test charge is stable. When a test charge is displaced from its equilibrium position in any direction, it experiences a restoring force towards a null point, where the electric field is zero. It shows that there is a net inward flux of electric field through a closed surface around the null point. According to Gauss’s law, the flux of electric field through a surface not enclosing any charge is zero. Therefore, the equilibrium of the test charge cannot be stable.
(b) The mid-point of the line joining the two like charges is the null point. When a test charged is slightly displaced along the line, it experiences a restoring force. However, if it is displaced normal to the joining line, then the net force takes it further away from the null point. Therefore, the equilibrium cannot be stable.
Q.33 A particle of mass m and charge (−q) enters the region between the two charged plates initially moving along x-axis with speed vx (like particle 1 in Fig. 1.33). The length of plate is L and an uniform electric field E is maintained between the plates. Show that the vertical deflection of the particle at the far edge of the plate is qEL2/ (2m vx2).
Compare this motion with motion of a projectile in gravitational field discussed in Section 4.10 of Class XI Textbook of Physics.
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Q.34 Suppose that the particle in Exercise in 1.33 is an electron projected with velocity vx= 2.0 × 106 m s−1. If E between the plates separated by 0.5 cm is 9.1 × 102 NC-1, where will the electron strike the upper plate? (| e | =1.6 × 10−19 C, me = 9.1 × 10−31 kg.)
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Related Chapters
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Electric Charges and Fields is the first electrostatics chapter in Class 12 Physics. It explains static charge, Coulomb force, electric field, electric flux, electric dipole and Gauss’s law.
Coulomb’s law formula is F = (1/4πε₀) × q₁q₂/r². It gives the electrostatic force between two point charges separated by distance r.
Electric field is force per unit positive test charge. Its formula is E = F/q, and its SI unit is N/C.
Electric flux through a flat surface is ϕ = EA cos θ. It depends on electric field, surface area and the angle between them.
Gauss’s law says total electric flux through a closed surface equals net enclosed charge divided by ε₀. Its formula is ∮ E · dS = q/ε₀.
