28. A 4 µF capacitor is charged to a potential difference of 100 V.

The electrical energy stored in the capacitor is

(A) 2 × 10–10 J (B) 2 × 10–8 J (C) 2 × 10–6 J (D) 2 × 10–4 J (E) 2 × 10–2 J

29. The hollow metal sphere shown above is positively charged. Point C is the center of the sphere and point P is
any other point within the sphere. Which of the following is true of the electric field at these points?
(A) It is zero at both points.
(B) It is zero at C, but at P it is not zero and is directed inward.
(C) It is zero at C, but at P it is not zero and is directed outward.
(D) It is zero at P, but at C it is not zero.
(E) It is not zero at either point.

Questions 30 – 31

Charges –Q and +Q are located on the x– and y–axes, respectively, each at a distance d from the origin O, as
shown above.

30. What is the direction of the electric field at the origin O ?

a. b. c. d. e.

31. What is the magnitude of the electric field at the origin O?

kQ kQ kQ 2 kQ 2kQ
(A) 2
(B) (C) 2
(D) (E)
2d 2d 2
d d 2
d2

32. An electron e and a proton p are simultaneously released from rest in a uniform electric field E, as shown above.
Assume that the particles are sufficiently far apart so that the only force acting on each particle after it is
released is that due to the electric field. At a later time when the particles are still in the field, the electron and
the proton will have the same
(A) direction of motion (B) speed (C) displacement (D) magnitude of acceleration
(E) magnitude of force acting on them

9
Questions 33 – 34

Two large, flat, parallel, conducting plates are 0.04 m apart, as shown above. The lower plate is at a potential of
2 V with respect to ground. The upper plate is at a potential of 10 V with respect to ground. Point P is located
0.01 m above the lower plate.

33. The electric potential at point P is

(A) 10 V (B) 8 V (C) 6 V (D) 4 V (E) 2 V

34. The magnitude of the electric field at point P is

(A) 800 V/m (B) 600 V/m (C) 400 V/m (D) 200 V/m (E) 100 V/m

35. A particle of charge Q and mass m is accelerated from rest through a potential difference V, attaining a kinetic
energy K. What is the kinetic energy of a particle of charge 2Q and mass m/2 that is accelerated from rest
through the same potential difference?
(A) ¼ K (B) ½ K (C) K (D) 2K (E) 4K

36. The diagram above shows electric field lines in an isolated region of space containing two small charged
spheres, Y and Z. Which of the following statements is true?
(A) The charge on Y is negative and the charge on Z is positive.
(B) The strength of the electric field is the same everywhere.
(C) The electric field is strongest midway between Y and Z.
(D) A small negatively charged object placed at point X would tend to move toward the right.
(E) Both charged spheres Y and Z carry charge of the same sign.

37. A hollow metal sphere 1.0 m in diameter carries a charge of 4.0 μC. The electric field at a distance of 2.0 m
from the center of the sphere is most nearly
(A) 9.0 × 103 N/C (B) 1.8 × 104 N/C (C) 2.4 × 104 N/C (D) 3.6 × 104 N/C (E) 1.4 × 105 N/C

38. A parallel–plate capacitor has a capacitance C o . A second parallel–plate capacitor has plates with twice the area
and twice the separation. The capacitance of the second capacitor is most nearly
(A) ¼C o (B) ½C o (C) C o (D) 2C o (E) 4C o

39. The electric field E just outside the surface of a charged conductor is
(A) directed perpendicular to the surface (B) directed parallel to the surface
(C) independent of the surface charge density (D) zero (E) infinite

10
40. Points R and S are each the same distance d from two unequal charges, +Q and +2Q, as shown above. The work
required to move a charge –Q from point R to point S is
(A) dependent on the path taken from R to S
(B) directly proportional to the distance between R and S
(C) positive
(D) zero
(E) negative

41. A rigid insulated rod, with two unequal charges attached to its ends, is placed in a uniform electric field E as
shown above. The rod experiences a
(A) net force to the left and a clockwise rotation
(B) net force to the left and a counterclockwise rotation
(C) net force to the right and a clockwise rotation
(D) net force to the right and a counterclockwise rotation
(E) rotation, but no net force

*42. The electric field of two long coaxial cylinders is represented by lines of force as shown above. The charge on
the inner cylinder is +Q. The charge on the outer cylinder is
(A) +3Q (B) +Q (C) 0 (D) – Q (E) –3 Q

43. An isolated capacitor with air between its plates has a potential difference V o and a charge Q o . After the space
between the plates is filled with oil, the difference in potential is V and the charge is Q. Which of the following
pairs of relationships is correct?
(A) Q = Q o and V > V o (B) Q = Q o and V < V o (C) Q > Q o and V = V o (D) Q < Q o and V < V o
(E) Q > Q o and V > V o

11
44. Two small spheres have equal charges q and are separated by a distance d. The force exerted on each sphere
by the other has magnitude F. If the charge on each sphere is doubled and d is halved, the force on each sphere
has magnitude
(A) F (B) 2F (C) 4F (D) 8F (E) 16F

45. Which of the following statements about conductors under electrostatic conditions is true?
(A) Positive work is required to move a positive charge over the surface of a conductor.
(B) Charge that is placed on the surface of a conductor always spreads evenly over the surface.
(C) The electric potential inside a conductor is always zero.
(D) The electric field at the surface of a conductor is tangent to the surface.
(E) The surface of a conductor is always an equipotential surface.

46. A charged particle traveling with a velocity v in an electric field E experiences a force F that must be
(A) parallel to v (B) perpendicular to v (C) perpendicular to v and E (D) parallel to E (E) perpendicular to E

47. A positive charge of 3.0 × 10–8 coulomb is placed in an upward directed uniform electric field of 4.0 × 104 N/C.
When the charge is moved 0.5 meter upward, the work done by the electric force on the charge is
(A) 6 × 10–4 J (B) 12 × 10–4 J (C) 2 × 104 J (D) 8 × 104 J (E) 12 × 104 J

Questions 48 – 49
The following configurations of electric charges are located at the vertices of an equilateral triangle. Point P is
equidistant from the charges.

48. In which configuration is the electric field at P equal to zero?

(A) A (B) B (C) C (D) D (E) E

49. In which configuration is the electric field at P pointed at the midpoint between two of the charges?
(A) A (B) B (C) C (D) D (E) E

50. Two square parallel–plate capacitors of capacitances C 1 and C 2 have the dimensions shown in the diagrams
above. The ratio of C 1 to C 2 is
(A) 1 to 4 (B) 1 to 2 (C) 1 to 1 (D) 2 to 1 (E) 4 to 1

51. A sheet of mica is inserted between the plates of an isolated charged parallel–plate capacitor. Which of the
following statements is true?
(A) The capacitance decreases.
(B) The potential difference across the capacitor decreases.
(C) The energy of the capacitor does not change.
(D) The charge on the capacitor plates decreases
(E) The electric field between the capacitor plates increases.

12
52. Two conducting spheres, X and Y have the same positive charge +Q, but different radii
(r x > r y ) as shown above. The spheres are separated so that the distance between them is large compared with
either radius. If a wire is connected between them, in which direction will electrons be directed in the wire?
(A) From X to Y
(B) From Y to X
(C) There will be no flow of charge in the wire.
(D) It cannot be determined without knowing the magnitude of Q.
(E) It cannot be determined without knowing whether the spheres are solid or hollow.

Questions 53 – 54
A sphere of radius R has positive charge Q uniformly distributed on its surface

53. Which of the following represents the magnitude of the electric field E and the potential V as functions of r, the
distance from the center of the sphere, when r < R ?
E V
(A) 0 kQ/R
(B) 0 kQ/r
(C) 0 0
(D) kQ/r2 0
(E) kQ/R2 0

54. Which of the following represents the magnitude, of the electric field E and the potential V as functions of r, the
distance from the center of sphere, when r > R ?
E V
(A) kQ/R2 kQ/R
(B) kQ/R kQ/R
(C) kQ/R kQ/r
(D) kQ/r2 kQ/r
(E) kQ/r2 kQ/r2

55. From the electric field vector at a point, one can determine which of the following?
I. The direction of the electrostatic force on a test charge of known sign at that point
II. The magnitude of the electrostatic force exerted per unit charge on a test charge at that point
III. The electrostatic charge at that point
(A) I only (B) III only (C) I and II only (D) II and III only (E) I, II, and III

56. A conducting sphere of radius R carries a charge Q. Another conducting sphere has a radius R/2, but carries the
same charge. The spheres are far apart. The ratio of the electric field near the surface of the smaller sphere to
the field near the surface of the larger sphere is most nearly
(A) 1/4 (B) 1/2 (C) 1 (D) 2 (E) 4

13
57. A circular ring made of an insulating material is cut in half. One half is given a charge –q uniformly distributed
along its arc. The other half is given a charge + q also uniformly distributed along its arc. The two halves are
then rejoined with insulation at the junctions J, as shown above. If there is no change in the charge
distributions, what is the direction of the net electrostatic force on an electron located at the center of the circle?
(A) Toward the top of the page (B) Toward the bottom of the page (C) To the right D) To the left
(E) Into the page.

58. Four positive charges of magnitude q are arranged at the corners of a square, as shown above. At the center C
of the square, the potential due to one charge alone is V o and the electric field due to one charge alone has
magnitude E o . Which of the following correctly gives the electric potential and the magnitude of the electric
field at the center of the square due to all four charges?
Electric Potential Electric Field
(A) Zero Zero
(B) Zero 2E o
(C) 2 V o 4E o
(D) 4 V o Zero
(E) 4 V o 2E o

59. Two charges, –2Q and +Q, are located on the x–axis, as shown above. Point P, at a distance of 3D from the
origin O, is one of two points on the positive x–axis at which the electric potential is zero. How far from the
origin O is the other point?
(A) 2/3 D (B) D (C) 3/2 D (D) 5/3 D (E) 2D

14
*60. Two concentric, spherical conducting shells have radii r 1 and r 2 and charges Q 1 and Q 2 , as shown above. Let r
be the distance from the center of the spheres and consider the region r 1 < r < r 2 . In this region the electric field
is proportional to
(A) Q 1 /r2 (B) (Q 1 + Q 2 )/r2 (C) (Q 1 + Q 2 )/r (D) Q 1 /r 1 + Q 2 /r (E) Q 1 /r + Q 2 /r 2

Questions 61 – 62

A battery or batteries connected to two parallel plates produce the equipotential lines between the plates shown
above.

*61. Which of the following configurations is most likely to produce these equipotential lines?

15
*62. The force on an electron located on the 0 volt potential line is
(A) 0 N (B) 1 N, directed to the right (C) 1 N, directed to the left
(D) to the right, but its magnitude cannot be determined without knowing the distance between the lines
(E) to the left, but its magnitude cannot be determined without knowing the distance between the lines

63. Two metal spheres that are initially uncharged are mounted on insulating stands, as shown above. A negatively
charged rubber rod is brought close to, but does not make contact with, sphere X. Sphere Y is then brought
close to X on the side opposite to the rubber rod. Y is allowed to touch X and then is removed some distance
away. The rubber rod is then moved far away from X and Y. What are the final charges on the spheres?
Sphere X Sphere Y
A) Zero Zero
B) Negative Negative
C) Negative Positive
D) Positive Negative
E) Positive Positive

64. Which of the following capacitors, each of which has plates of area A, would store the most charge on the top
plate for a given potential difference V?

65. A parallel–plate capacitor has charge +Q on one plate and charge –Q on the other. The plates, each of area A,
are a distance d apart and are separated by a vacuum. A single proton of charge +e, released from rest at the
surface of the positively charged plate, will arrive at the other plate with kinetic energy proportional to
edQ Q2 AeQ Q eQ 2
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
A eAd d ed Ad

16
66. Two initially uncharged conductors, 1 and 2, are mounted on insulating stands and are in contact, as shown
above. A negatively charged rod is brought near but does not touch them. With the rod held in place, conductor
2 is moved to the right by pushing its stand, so that the conductors are separated. Which of the following is now
true of conductor 2?
(A) It is uncharged. (B) It is positively charged. (C) It is negatively charged.
(D) It is charged, but its sign cannot be predicted.
(E) It is at the same potential that it was before the charged rod was brought near.

Questions 67 – 68

67. As shown above, two particles, each of charge +Q, are fixed at opposite corners of a square that lies in the plane
of the page. A positive test charge +q is placed at a third corner. What is the direction of the force on the test
charge due to the two other charges?

(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)

68. If F is the magnitude of the force on the test charge due to only one of the other charges, what is the magnitude
of the net force acting on the test charge due to both of these charges?
F
(A) Zero (B) (C) F (D) 2F (E) 2
2
Questions 69 – 70
Two charges are located on the line shown in the figure below, in which the charge at point I is +3q and the
charge at point III is +2q. Point II is halfway between points I and III.

69. Other than at infinity, the electric field strength is zero at a point on the line in which of the following ranges?
(A) To the left of I (B) Between I and II (C) Between II and III (D) To the right of III
(E) None; the field is zero only at infinity.

70. The electric potential is negative at some points on the line in which of the following ranges?
(A) To the left of I (B) Between I and II (C) Between II and III (D) To the right of III
(E) None; this potential is never negative.

71. The work that must be done by an external agent to move a point charge of 2 mC from the origin to a point 3 m
away is 5 J. What is the potential difference between the two points?
(A) 4 × 10–4 V (B) 10–2 V (C) 2.5 × 103 V (D) 2 × 106 V (E) 6 × 106 V

17
*72. The graph above shows the electric potential V in a region of space as a function of position along the x–axis.
At which point would a charged particle experience the force of greatest magnitude?
(A) A (B) B (C) C (D) D (E) E:

*73. Suppose that an electron (charge –e) could orbit a proton (charge +e) in a circular orbit of constant radius R.
Assuming that the proton is stationary and only electrostatic forces act on the particles, which of the following
represents the kinetic energy of the two–particle system?
1 e 1 e2 1 e2 1 e2 1 e2
(A) (B) (C) − (D) (E) −
4πε 0 R 8πε 0 R 8πε 0 R 4πε 0 R 2 4πε 0 R 2

74. If the only force acting on an electron is due to a uniform electric field, the electron moves with constant
(A) acceleration in a direction opposite to that of the field
(B) acceleration in the direction of the field
(C) acceleration in a direction perpendicular to that of the field
(D) speed in a direction opposite to that of the field
(E) speed in the direction of the field

75. Two charged particles, each with a charge of +q, are located along the x–axis at x = 2 and x = 4, as shown
above. Which of the following shows the graph of the magnitude of the electric field along the x–axis from the
origin to x = 6?

18