Dipoles, whether electric or magnetic, are characterised by their dipole moments, which are vector quantities. Two equal and opposite charges separated by a small distance constitute an electric dipole, while a current carrying loop behaves as a magnetic dipole. Electric dipoles create electric fields around them. Electric dipoles experience a torque when placed in an external electric field.
An electric dipole of length 2 cm is placed at an angle of 30° with an electric field 2 × 10⁵ N/C. If the dipole experiences a torque of 8 × 10⁻³ Nm, the magnitude of either charge of the dipole, is
(i) Derive an expression for potential energy of an electric dipole p in an external uniform electric field E. When is the potential energy of the dipole (1) maximum, and (2) minimum ? (ii) An electric dipole consists of point charges − 1·0 pC and + 1·0 pC located at (0, 0) and (3 mm, 4 mm) respectively in x − y plane. An electric field E = (1000 V/m)î is switched on in the region. Find the torque acting on the dipole.
An electric dipole of dipole moment 2 × 10⁻⁸ C-m in a uniform electric field experiences a maximum torque of 6 × 10⁻⁴ N-m. The magnitude of electric field is
An electric dipole with dipole moment P = P₀î − P₀ĵ is placed in an electric field E = E₁î + E₂ĵ, where P₀, E₁ and E₂ are constants. The torque acting on the dipole is :
Case study: A small electric dipole consists of charges +q = +5 nC and –q = –5 nC separated by a distance of 4 cm. The dipole is placed in a uniform external electric field of magnitude 10⁵ N C⁻¹, such that the dipole moment makes an angle of 30° with the field. The torque acting on the dipole is:
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