Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
- Assertion (A): An electron has a high potential energy when it is at a location associated with a more negative value of potential, and a low potential energy when at a location associated with a more positive potential.
- Reason (R): Electrons move from a region of higher potential to region of lower potential.
Select the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
Options
Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
A is true but R is false.
A is false and R is also false.
Advertisements
Solution
A is true but R is false.
Explanation:
When an electron is at a location associated with a negative value of potential, say -V, its potential energy is U = (-e)(-V) = eV. When an electron is at a location associated with a positive potential, say +V, its potential energy is U = (-e)(+V) = -eV. So, the assertion is true.
From higher to lower potential, current flows. Conventionally, electrons move from a lower to a greater potential when they flow in the opposite manner. So, the reason is false.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
A cube of side b has a charge q at each of its vertices. Determine the potential and electric field due to this charge array at the centre of the cube.
Four point charges Q, q, Q and q are placed at the corners of a square of side 'a' as shown in the figure.

Find the
1) resultant electric force on a charge Q, and
2) potential energy of this system.
Find out the amount of the work done to separate the charges at infinite distance.
A point charge Q is placed at point O as shown in the figure. The potential difference VA – VB positive. Is the charge Q negative or positive?

If a charge q0 is there in an electric field caused by several point charges qi. The potential energy of q0 is given by ________.
The work done in bringing a unit positive charge from infinite distance to a point at distance x from a positive charge Q is W. Then the potential at that point is ______.
Calculate potential energy of a point charge – q placed along the axis due to a charge +Q uniformly distributed along a ring of radius R. Sketch P.E. as a function of axial distance z from the centre of the ring. Looking at graph, can you see what would happen if – q is displaced slightly from the centre of the ring (along the axis)?
- In a quark model of elementary particles, a neutron is made of one up quarks [charge (2/3) e] and two down quarks [charges –(1/3) e]. Assume that they have a triangle configuration with side length of the order of 10–15 m. Calculate electrostatic potential energy of neutron and compare it with its mass 939 MeV.
- Repeat above exercise for a proton which is made of two up and one down quark.
Justify your answers for each case.
State the significance of the negative value of electrostatic potential energy of a system of charges.
Three charges are placed at the corners of an equilateral triangle ABC of side 2.0 m as shown in the figure. Calculate the electric potential energy of the system of three charges.

Charges (+q) and (–q) are placed at points A and B respectively which are a distance 2L apart. C is the midpoint between A and B. What is the work done in moving a charge +Q along the semicircle CRD?
