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Is the electric field due to a charge co...

Is the electric field due to a charge configuration with total charge zero necessarily zero?

Text Solution

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No , not necessarily zero. As an example total charge on an electrical dipole is zero but electric field to the dipole is finite at a given point.
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On the basis of your understanding of the following paragraph and the related studied concepts. An electric dipole is a pair of equal and opposite point charges q and -9 separated by a distance '2a'. The total charge of the electric dipole is obviously zero but the field of the electric dipole at a point is non-zero because electric fields due to + qand - q charges at the point do not exactly cancel out. Electric field of a dipole, at large distances, depends on the product 'qa'. So we define a term dipole moment vector vecp of an electric dipole as vecp = q(2a) and its direction is along the line from q to + q charge. The dipole field at large distances fall off as 1/r^3 . Further, the magnitude and direction of the dipole field depends not only on the distance r but also on the angle between the position vector vecr and the dipole moment vecp . Concept of electric dipoles is very significant for different materials. In most molecules, the centres of positive charges and of negative charges exactly coincide and their dipole moment is zero. However they develop a dipole moment when an electric field as applied. Such molecules are termed non-polar molecules. But in some molecules, the centres of positive charges do not exactly coincide with that of negative charges and the molecules has a permanent dipole moment even in the absence of an electric field. Such molecules are called polar molecules. Various materials give rise to interesting properties and important applications in the presence or absence of electric field. Is the electric field due to a charge configuration with total charge zero necessarily zero ? Give an illustration in support of your answer.

Electric field due to point charge

Knowledge Check

  • Assertion : The electric field due to a discrete charge configuration is not defined at the locations of the discrete charges. Reason : For a surface charge distribution, electric field is discontinuous across the surface.

    A
    If both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
    B
    If both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
    C
    If assertion is true but reason is false.
    D
    If both assertion and reason are false.

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