Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
Draw a sketch of equipotential surfaces due to a single charge (-q), depicting the electric field lines due to the charge
Advertisements
Solution
Equipotential surface for a negative charge:

APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
Define an equipotential surface.
The discharging current in the atmosphere due to the small conductivity of air is known to be 1800 A on an average over the globe. Why then does the atmosphere not discharge itself completely in due course and become electrically neutral? In other words, what keeps the atmosphere charged?
What are the forms of energy into which the electrical energy of the atmosphere is dissipated during a lightning?
(Hint: The earth has an electric field of about 100 Vm−1 at its surface in the downward direction, corresponding to a surface charge density = −10−9 C m−2. Due to the slight conductivity of the atmosphere up to about 50 km (beyond which it is good conductor), about + 1800 C is pumped every second into the earth as a whole. The earth, however, does not get discharged since thunderstorms and lightning occurring continually all over the globe pump an equal amount of negative charge on the earth.)
Draw equipotential surfaces:
(1) in the case of a single point charge and
(2) in a constant electric field in Z-direction. Why are the equipotential surfaces about a single charge not equidistant?
(3) Can electric field exist tangential to an equipotential surface? Give reason
Depict the equipotential surfaces for a system of two identical positive point charges placed a distance(d) apart?
Consider the following statements and select the correct statement(s).
- Electric field lines are always perpendicular to equipotential surface.
- No two equipotential surfaces can intersect each other.
- Electric field lines are in the direction of tangent to an equipotential surface.
The diagrams below show regions of equipotentials.
(i)![]() |
(ii)![]() |
(iii)![]() |
(iv)![]() |
A positive charge is moved from A to B in each diagram.
Can two equipotential surfaces intersect each other?
Find the equation of the equipotentials for an infinite cylinder of radius r0, carrying charge of linear density λ.
Draw equipotential surfaces for (i) an electric dipole and (ii) two identical positive charges placed near each other.




