CLASS XII SCIENCE/PHYSICS 17.04.

2020

LESSON ON
ENERGY OF SYSTEM OF CHARGED PARTICLES
ENERGY OF ELECTRIC DIPOLE
GUIDELINES FOR PREPARATION:
FIRST COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING PORTIONS OF ELECTROSTATICS.
A: POTENTIAL ENERGY OF A SYSTEM OF TWO CHARGES
 Consider a charge q1 is brought from infinity at a particular point, no work is done as no
electric field exists.
 Now a charge q2 is brought from infinity at a distance r 12 from q1.
 Work done for q1 is w1=0.
 LET US CONSIDER THE WORKDONE FOR q2.
 The potential due q 1 to is given by
1 q1
V=
4 π ε 0 r 12
1 q1q2
Work done on q 2=
4 π ε 0 r 12
where r 12 is the distance between q 1 and q 2.

 Since electrostatic force is conservative, this work gets stored in the form of potential
energy of the system.
 Thus, the potential energy of a system of two charges q 1 and q 2 is
1 q1 q2
U=
4 π ε 0 r 12
 The potential energy expression, is unaltered whatever way the charges are brought to
the specified locations, because of path-independence of work for electrostatic force.
 If q 1 q 2> 0 , potential energy is positive. This is as expected, since for like charges,
( q 1 q2 >0 ) electrostatic force is repulsive and a positive amount of work is needed to be
done against this force to bring the charges from infinity to a finite distance apart.
 For unlike charges ( q 1 q2 <0 )), the electrostatic force is attractive. A negative amount of
work is needed for the reverse path so the potential energy is negative.
B: POTENTIAL ENERGY OF A SYSTEM OF THREE CHARGES
 Let us calculate the potential energy of a system of three charges q 1, q 2 and q 3 as shown
in the figure.
r23
C (q3) B(q2)

r31 r12

A (q1)
  To bring q1 at A, work done w1=0.
 To bring q 2 from infinity to B. As before, work done in this step is
1 q1 q2
W 2=
4 π ε 0 r 12
 The charges q 1 and q 2 produce a potential, which at any point C is given by
1 q1 q2
V= (+
4 π ε 0 r 31 r 2 3 )
 Work done next in bringing q 3 from infinity to the point C is q 3 times V at C.
1 q1 q3 q 2 q3
W 3=
4 π ε 0 r 31
+( r 23 )
 The total work done in assembling the charges at the given locations is obtained by
adding the work done in different steps
U= W1+W2+W3
1 q1 q2 q 1 q 3 q 2 q 3
U= (
4 π ε 0 r 12
+
r 13
+
r 23 )
C: POTENTIAL ENERGY IN AN EXTERNAL FIELD
 Potential energy of q at r⃗ in an external field
¿ qV ( ⃗r )
where V (⃗r ) is the external potential at the point r⃗
 Thus, if an electron with charge q=e=1.6 × 10– 19 C is accelerated by a potential
difference of ∆ V =1 volt , it would gain energy of q ∆ V =1.6 ×10 – 19 J .
 This unit of energy is defined as 1 electron volt or 1 eV , i.e., 1 eV =1.6 × 10– 19 J
D: POTENTIAL ENERGY OF A SYSTEM OF TWO CHARGES IN AN EXTERNAL FIELD
 Work done in bringing the charge q 1 from infinity to ⃗
r1
¿ q 1 V (⃗
r1 )
 Work done on q 2 against the external field
¿ q 2 V (⃗
r2 )
 Work done on q 2 against the field due to q 1
1 q1q2
¿
4 π ε 0 r 12
where r 12 is the distance between q 1 and q 2
 Thus, Potential energy of the system is given by
1 q 1 q2
¿ q1V (⃗
r 1 ) +q 2 V ( ⃗
r2 )+
4 π ε 0 r 12
E: POTENTIAL ENERGY OF A DIPOLE IN AN EXTERNAL FIELD
 Consider a dipole with charges q 1=+q and q 2=– q placed in a uniform electric field ⃗
E,
as shown in Figure below.
  In a uniform electric field, the dipole experiences a torque τ⃗ given by
τ⃗ =⃗p × ⃗
E
 The amount of work done by the external torque to rotate from an angle θ0 to θ1 will be
given by
θ1 θ1

W =∫ τdθ=∫ pEsinθdθ= pE ( cos θ0 −cos θ1 )

θ0 θ0

 If the dipole is rotated from θ0 =π /2 to θ1=θ

θ
( )
U ( θ )= pE cos −cosθ =−pEcosθ=−⃗p . ⃗
2
E

 Dipole is at stable equilibrium when θ=0

 Dipole is at unstable equilibrium when θ=π

FOR REFERENCE CHECK THE FOLLOWING VIDEOS:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rI9pYdBphI
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bdoK4TXaOM
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpVxj3XrLgk
 3RD LINK SUGGESTED FOR ADVANCED LEARNER

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DURATION: 20/04/2020 TO 25/04/2020
HOME PREPARATION ON ENERGY OF SYSTEM OF CHARGED PARTICLES
1. Define the term electrostatic potential energy and derive its expression for
a. system of two charges q 1and q 2at position vectors ⃗ r 1 and ⃗
r 2 with respect to some origin.
b. system of three charges q 1, q 2 and q 3 at position vectors ⃗
r 1, ⃗
r 2 and ⃗
r 3 with respect to
some origin.
2. A dipole of dipole moment ⃗p is kept in a uniform electric field ⃗ E at an angle θ with the
electric field. Find the potential energy of the dipole. Also find the work done if it is rotated
from a position of stable equilibrium to a position unstable equilibrium.
3. A 500 µC charge is at the centre of a square of side 10 cm. find the work done in moving a 10
µC between two diagonally opposite points on the square.
4. If the electrical potential energy between two equal charges quadruples, what will be the
change in the distance between the particles?
5. Calculate work done to dissociate the system of three charges placed on the vertices of a
equilateral triangle as shown in Fig. 2. Here q = 1.6X10 -10 C.

Fig. 2
6. Two charges q 1and q 2 are located at ⃗
r 1 and ⃗
r 2 respectively in an external electric field E.
Obtain the expression for the total work done in assembling the configuration.
7. Two charges –q and +q are located at points (0, 0, –a) and (0, 0, a), respectively. How much
work is done in moving a small test charge from the point (5,0,0) to (–7,0,0) along the x-axis?
Does the answer change if the path of the test charge between the same points is not along
the x-axis?
8. Four charges are arranged at the corners of a square ABCD of side d, as shown in Fig. 1. Find
the work required to make this arrangement. (b) A charge q 0 is brought to the centre E of
the square, the four charges being held fixed at its corners. How much extra work is needed
to do this?

Fig. 1
9. Determine the electrostatic potential energy of a system consisting of two charges 7 μC and
–2 μC placed at (–9 cm, 0, 0) and (9 cm, 0, 0) respectively in an external electric field
E=A (1/r 2 ); A=9 ×105 C m– 2.
10. In a hydrogen atom, the electron and proton are bound at a distance of about 0.53 Å:
a. Estimate the potential energy of the system in eV, taking the zero of the potential energy
at infinite separation of the electron from proton.
b. What is the minimum work required to free the electron, given that its kinetic energy in
the orbit is half the magnitude of potential energy obtained in (a)?
c. What are the answers to (a) and (b) above if the zero of potential energy is taken at 1.06 Å
separation?
11. A molecule of a substance has a permanent electric dipole moment of magnitude 10 –29 C m.
A mole of this substance is polarised (at low temperature) by applying a strong electrostatic
field of magnitude 106 V m–1. The direction of the field is suddenly changed by an angle of
60º. Estimate the heat released by the substance in aligning its dipoles along the new
direction of the field. For simplicity, assume 100% polarisation of the sample.
12. A positive point charge q is fixed at origin. A dipole with a dipole moment ⃗p is placed along
the x-axis far away from the origin with ⃗p pointing along positive x-axis. Find
a. the kinetic energy of the dipole when it reaches a distance r from the origin and
b. force experienced by the charge q at this moment.
13. A dipole is present in an electrostatic field of magnitude 10 6 N/C. If the work done in rotating
it from its position of stable equilibrium to its position of unstable equilibrium is 2 X 10 -23J
then find the magnitude of the dipole moment of this dipole ?
14. An electric dipole of length 4 cm, when placed with its axis making an angle of 60 o with a
uniform electric field, experiences a torque of 4√3 Nm Calculate the potential energy of the
dipole, if the dipole has charges of ±8nC.