Yangchenphug Higher Secondary School

Department of Physics
Physics: Class-12 Free e-book

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.royphysics.netau.net Mail sudip10in@druknet.bt

BHSEC-I SC-CBSE
sudipta kumar roy

Uni t : 1 El ect r ost at i c

Topi c/ chapt er : El ect r i c di pol e
Syl l abus: Electric dipole; electric field at a point on the axis
and perpendicular bisector of a dipole; electric dipole
moment, torque on a dipole in a uniform electric field .
[Scope: Electric dipole and dipole moment (vector);
unit; derivation of E at any point, (a) on the
Axis (b) on the perpendicular bisector of the dipole.
Vector equation; special case for r>> 2l. Dipole in
uniform E field; net force zero, torque E p = . (E due
to continuous distribution of charge, ring of charge,
disc of charge, etc. not included).]
Lesson
Devel opment :


El ect r i c Fi el d

The space surrounding an electric charge q in which
another charge q
o
experiences a force of attraction or
repulsion, is called electric field of charge q.
The intensity of electric field E
ur
is given by
o
F
E
q

Electric intensity is a vector quantity. S.I unit of E
ur

is newton/coulomb or N/C. Its another unit is
Volts/metre [V/m].

El ect r i c di pol e

An electric dipole is a pair of equal and opposite
point-charges placed at a short distance apart.

-q +q
l l

The length of dipole is 2l.

El ect r i c di pol e moment

The product of one charge q and distance between dipole
2l is called magnitude of the electric dipole moment
[p].
P = q x 2l

P
h
y
s
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s

n
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b
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:

S
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K
.

R
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y

f
o
r

r
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y
p
h
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s
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s
.
n
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t

Yangchenphug Higher Secondary School
Department of Physics
Physics: Class-12 Free e-book

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.royphysics.netau.net Mail sudip10in@druknet.bt

BHSEC-I SC-CBSE
sudipta kumar roy

Electric dipole moment is a vect or quant i t y which acts
along the line joining the two charges. Unit of
electric dipole moment is coulomb-metre [C-m].


E f or el ect r i c di pol e on axi al l i ne :
[E-electric intensity]


Let a test charge q
o
[It is a unit positive charge] be
placed at a distance of r from centre of dipole. The
electric intensity due to positive charge is E
1
and due
to negative charge is E
2
.The resultant intensity is:
E = E
1
E
2
[As E
1
E
2
]
Or we can write,

1
2
1
E
4 ( )
o
q
r l

ur
and 2
2
1
E
4 ( )
o
q
r l

+
ur

Hence,
2 2
1 1
E
4 ( ) 4 ( )
o o
q q
r l r l

+
ur

Taking common factors out we get,

2 2
1 1
E
4 ( ) ( )
o
q
r l r l
_


+
,
ur

We take L.C.M for ( r l )
2
and (r + l)
2

which gives us (r
2
l
2
)
2
and on solving we get:

2 2
2 2 2
( ) ( )
E
4 ( )
o
q r l r l
r l
_ +

,
ur

And on further solving we get:

2 2 2
4
E
4 ( )
o
q rl
r l
_

,
ur
..equation 1

Now we know that electric dipole moment is given as:
p = q x 2l .equation 2
P
h
y
s
i
c
s

n
o
t
e
s

b
y
:

S
.

K
.

R
o
y

f
o
r

r
o
y
p
h
y
s
i
c
s
.
n
e
t

Yangchenphug Higher Secondary School
Department of Physics
Physics: Class-12 Free e-book

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.royphysics.netau.net Mail sudip10in@druknet.bt

BHSEC-I SC-CBSE
sudipta kumar roy
F
2
Cos

Put value of P from equation 2 in equation 1 we get

2 2 2
1 2
E
4 ( )
o
pr
r l
_

,
ur


If we consider that r l [ negl ect l] then we get the
electric intensity as:
2 2
1 2
E
4 ( )
o
pr
r
_

,
ur
which can further be modified by canceling
r as:
3
1 2
E
4
_

,

o
p
r
uur


E f or el ect r i c di pol e on equat or i al l i ne
[E-electric intensity]
















Also E = Fq
o
and since q
o
=1C hence E = F eq 2
We know that
1 2
1
4 ( )
o
q
F
r l

+
and
2 2
1
4 ( )
o
q
F
r l

+
also
2 2
Cos=
l
r l +

Now we can modify equation 1 as:


2 2
1 1
F =
4 ( ) 4 ( )


+
+ +
o o
q q
Cos Cos
r l r l

-q +q
F
1
F
2
F
1
Sin
F
1
Cos
F
2
Sin
l l
We know that forces of
attraction or
repulsion are equal
and opposite of each
other.
As the factors
F
1
Si n and F
2
Si n
are equal but opposite
to each other hence
they get cancelled.
Now the resultant
force acting on test
charge q
o
is:
1 2 F = F F Cos Cos +
r r r
eq 1
q
o
[+1C]
P
h
y
s
i
c
s

n
o
t
e
s

b
y
:

S
.

K
.

R
o
y

f
o
r

r
o
y
p
h
y
s
i
c
s
.
n
e
t

Yangchenphug Higher Secondary School
Department of Physics
Physics: Class-12 Free e-book

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.royphysics.netau.net Mail sudip10in@druknet.bt

BHSEC-I SC-CBSE
sudipta kumar roy
Or,
2
1
F = 2
4 ( )

+
o
q
Cos
r l

Or,
2
2 2
1
F = 2
4 ( ) +
+ o
q l
r l
r l

Or,
3
2
1
F = 2
4
( )

+ o
ql
r l

Or,
3
2
1
F =
4
( )

+ o
p
r l

Now if rl then we get force as:
[F-vector quantity]

3
1
F =
4
o
p
r



Tor que exper i enced by el ect r i c di pol e



























F=qE
F=qE
2l
Torque is defined as product of
force and perpendicular distance
between forces.
force distance
ar

Force = qE and perpendicular
distance is BC
We can write
BC
Sin
2l

qE
qE 2
BC
lSin

We also know that dipole moment
is given as: p = q x 2l

pE Sin

This equation is scalar form and
the same equation can be written
in vector form as:
p x E
All three quantities are vector.
B
C
A
P
h
y
s
i
c
s

n
o
t
e
s

b
y
:

S
.

K
.

R
o
y

f
o
r

r
o
y
p
h
y
s
i
c
s
.
n
e
t

Yangchenphug Higher Secondary School
Department of Physics
Physics: Class-12 Free e-book

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.royphysics.netau.net Mail sudip10in@druknet.bt

BHSEC-I SC-CBSE
sudipta kumar roy
Act i vi t y:
1.
The electric field intensity at a large distance x is
proportional to :
1/x
2
1/x
3
1/x 1/x
4

Dont
Know
2. Regarding the adjacent figure which statement is true:

E
A
E
B


E
A
> E
B
E
A
< E
B
E
A
= E
B
None of
these
Dont
Know
3. If a test charge q
o
is placed in an uniform electric E
field due to a charge q then force experienced by test
charge is

F = qE F = 2q
o
E F = 2qE F = q
o
E

4. If an electric dipole consists of two charges 200C
separated by a distance of 10cm then calculate the electric
dipole moment.
5.
If electric intensity on equatorial line is 3x10
-2
N/C then
what would be the electric intensity on equatorial line?
6. What is the dimension of electric field intensity?
2
3
F MLT
E MLT A
q AT

1
]


BBE- Quest i on