Question

Electrostatics deals with the study of forces, fields and potentials arising from static charges. Force and electric field, due to a point charge is basically determined by Coulomb's law. For symmetric charge configurations, Gauss's law, which is also based on Coulomb's law, helps us to find the electric field. A charge/a system of charges like a dipole experience a force/torque in an electric field. Work is required to be done to provide a specific orientation to a dipole with respect to an electric field.

A molecule of a substance has a permanent electric dipole moment of magnitude 10–29 C m. A mole of this substance is polarised (at low temperature) by applying a strong electrostatic field of magnitude 106 V m–1. The direction of the field is suddenly changed by an angle of 60º. Estimate the heat released by the substance in aligning its dipoles along the new direction of the field. For simplicity, assume 100% polarisation of the sample.

Depict the orientation of an electric dipole in (a) stable and (b) unstable equilibrium in an external uniform electric field. Write the potential energy of the dipole in each case.

An electric dipole of dipole moment p is kept in a uniform electric field E. The amount of work done to rotate it from the position of stable equilibrium to that of unstable equilibrium will be