CHAPTER: ELECTROSTATIC POTENTIAL AND CAPACITANCE

WORKSHEET
TOPIC: ELECTROSTATIC POTENTIAL & POTENTIAL ENERGY

VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Why is electrostatic potential constant through the volume of the conductor and has the same value (as
inside) on its surface? [CBSE D 2012]
2. Why is there no work done in moving a charge from one point to another on an equipotential surface?
3. Figure given below shows three points A, B and C in a uniform electric field. At which of the points will the
electric potential maximum?

•A
•B E

•C

4. A hollow metal sphere of radius 5 cm is charged such that the potential on its surface is 10 V. What is the
potential at the centre of the sphere? [CBSE AI 2011]
5. A point charge Q is placed at point O as shown in the figure. Is the potential difference V A-VB positive,
negative or zero, if Q is (i) positive (ii) negative? [CBSE D 2011]
Q
•…………………………..•………………………•
O A B
6. A charge q is moved from a point A above dipole of dipole moment p to a point B below the dipole in
equatorial plane without acceleration. Find the work done in the process. [CBSE AI 2016]
A

-q +q

7. In which direction does the electric potential decreases in a uniform electric field?
8. A 500 µC charge is placed at the centre of a square of side 10 cm. Find the work done in moving a charge
of 10 µC between two diagonally opposite corners of the square.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
9. Draw equipotential surfaces due:
(a) In case of a single point charge and
(b) In a constant electric field in z-direction.
Why the equipotential surfaces about a single point charge are not equidistant?
(c) Can electric field exist tangential to an equipotential surface? Give reason. [CBSE AI 2016]
10. Four charges +q, -q, +q and –q are to be arranged respectively at the four corners of a square ABCD of side
a.
(a) Find the work required to put together this arrangement.
(b) A charge q0 is brought to the centre of the square, the four charges being held fixed. How much extra
work is needed to do this? [CBSE F 2015]
11. A test charge ‘q’ is moved without acceleration from point A to C via B in electric field E as shown on
figure. Calculate the potential difference between A and C. At which point (of the two) is the electric
potential more and why?

B (-2, 2)
E

C (-2,-1) -------------------------------------- A (2,-1)

12. Calculate the amount of work done in rotating a dipole, of dipole moment 3 x 10 -8 Cm, from its position of
stable equilibrium to position of unstable equilibrium, in a uniform electric field of intensity 10 5 N/C.
13. Calculate the work done to dissociate the system of three charges placed on the vertices of a triangle as
shown. Here q = 1.6 x 10-10 C.
q

10 cm 10 cm

-4q +2q
10 cm

14. Two uniformly large parallel thin plates having charge densities +σ and –σ are kept in the X-Z plane at a
distance ‘d’ apart. Sketch an equipotential surface due to the electric field between the plates. If a mass m
and charge ‘-q’ remains stationary between the plates, what is the magnitude and direction of this field?
[CBSE D 2011]
15. The electric field intensity and potential, at a point due to a point charge, are 36 N/C and 18 J/C
respectively. Calculate (i) magnitude and (ii) position of the charge from the point.
FILL IN THE BLANKS
16. The amount of work done in bringing a unit positive charge from infinity to the given observation point
against the electrostatic force is called_____________.
17. The electric potential of a point charge is ____________symmetric while that of an electric dipole
is______________symmetric.
18. Electric potential is____________ quantity while potential gradient is a___________quantity.
19. _____________at point is equal to negative of the potential gradient at that point.
20. For a constant electric field in the z- direction, equipotential surfaces will be planes parallel to_________.
STATE: TRUE/FALSE
21. The electrostatic potential is necessarily zero at a point where the electric field strength is zero.
22. The electrostatic potential at a point can be zero where the electric field is not zero.
23. In an electric field, am electron moves from higher potential to lower potential region.
24. The work done in carrying a point charge from one point to another in an electrostatic field depends on
the path along which the point charge is carried.
25. The electrostatic potential is constant throughout the volume of a conductor and has the same value as
inside the conductor.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
26. The electric potential at the surface of an atomic nucleus (Z = 50) of radius 9 x 10-13 cm is
(a) 9 x 105 volt (b) 8 x 106 volt
(c) 80 volt (d) 9 volt
27. Which of the following is not true?
(a) For a point charge, the electrostatic potential varies as 1/r
(b) For a dipole, the potential depends on the position vector and dipole moment vector
(c) The electric dipole potential varies as 1/r at large distance
(d) For a point charge, the electrostatic field varies as 1/r2
28. Electric field and electric potential inside a charged spherical shell are
(a) E = 0, V = 0 (b) E = 0, V ≠ 0
(b) E ≠ 0, V = 0 (d) E ≠ 0, V ≠ 0
29. The potential at the centre of the sphere, if hollow metallic sphere of radius 10 cm is charged such that
potential of its surface is 70 V, is
(a) 100 V (b) 35 V
(c) 70 V (d) 7 V
30. The electric potential at any point is
V = -5x + 3y + √15 z
Then the magnitude of the electric field is
(a) 3√2 (b) 4√2
(c) 5√2 (d) 7