Question

The direction of the electric field on the equatorial line of a dipole is:

Options

• Perpendicular to both the dipole axis and the equatorial line

• Along the dipole moment \[\vec{p}\]

• Opposite to the dipole moment (anti-parallel)

• Radially outward from the centre of the dipole

Answer 1

At the equatorial line, the electric field is directed opposite to the dipole moment vector. This is because the field contributions from both charges combine to produce a resultant that points from the positive toward the negative charge, which is opposite to the direction of \[\vec{p}\] (which points from negative to positive).