130. Four electrical charges are arranged on the corners of a 10 cm square as shown.

What would be the direction of

the resulting electric field at the center point P?
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)

131. A proton is released between the two parallel plates of the fully charged capacitor shown above. What would
be the resulting acceleration of the proton?
(A) 1.0 × 10–7 m/s2 (B) 7.3 × 1013 m/s2 (C) 9.6 × 108 m/s2 (D) 6.3 × 1019 m/s2 (E) 3.8 × 1011 m/s2

132. A circular parallel–plate capacitor is connected to a battery in a circuit. The capacitor is fully charged before
the battery is disconnected from the circuit. A uniform material of dielectric constant κ is inserted between the
plates of the capacitor, effectively filling the space between the plates. Let U old be the energy stored by the
capacitor before the dielectric was inserted, while U new is the energy stored after the dielectric was inserted.
The ratio of U new /U old is
1 1
(A) (B) (C) 1 (D) κ (E) κ2
κ 2
κ

*133.A solid uncharged conducting sphere has radius 3a contains a hollowed spherical region of radius 2a. A point
charge +Q is placed at a position a distance a from the common center of the spheres. What is the magnitude of
the electric field at the position r = 4a from the center of the spheres as marked in the figure by P?
kQ 3kQ kQ
(A) 0 (B) (C) (D) (E) None of the previous
16a 2 16a 2 9a 2

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134. The potential energy of two like charges

(A) decreases as the charges are separated.

(B) depends on the sign of the charge.
(C) is proportional to the square of the relative speed.
(D) is inversely proportional to the square of the separation.
(E) is repulsive.

135. A positively charged object is brought near but not in contact with the top of an uncharged gold leaf
electroscope. The experimenter then briefly touches the electroscope with a finger. The finger is removed,
followed by the removal of the positively charged object. What happens to the leaves of the electroscope when
a negative charge is now brought near but not in contact with the top of the electroscope?
(A) they remain uncharged
(B) they move farther apart
(C) they move closer together
(D) they remain positively charged but unmoved
(E) they remain negatively charged but unmoved

*136.A solid spherical conducting shell has inner radius a and outer radius 2a. At the center of the shell is located a
point charge +Q. What must the excess charge of the shell be in order for the charge density on the inner and
outer surfaces of the shell to be exactly equal?
(A) –5Q (B) +3Q (C) –4Q (D) +4Q (E) –3Q

137. A small positive test charge is placed at point P in the region near two charges. Which of the following arrows
indicates the direction of the force on the positive test charge?

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

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138. A portable radio that is playing is placed inside a screen cage as shown. When inside the cage the radio stops
playing because
(A) the electric potential of the batteries is neutralized.
(B) the charge on the radio is zero.
(C) the sound cannot travel through the cage.
(D) the electric field of the radio waves cannot penetrate the cage.
(E) none of the above reasons.

139. A spherical conducting shell has a net charge +Q placed on it. Which of the following is the correct
relationship for the electric potential at the points labeled A, B, and C? Point A is at the center of the sphere,
point B is at the surface of the shell, a distance R from point A, and point C is a distance R from point B outside
the sphere. As r goes to infinity, V = 0.
(A) V C < V B < V A (B) V A < V B < V C (C) V C = V B = V A (D) V C = V B < V A (E) V C < V B = V A

140. Which statement about a system of point charges that are fixed in space is necessarily true?
(A) If the potential energy of the system is negative, net positive work by an external agent is required to take
the charges in the system back to infinity.
(B) If the potential energy of the system is positive, net positive work is required to bring any new charge not
part of the system in from infinity to its final resting location.
(C) If the potential energy of the system is zero, no negative charges are in the configuration.
(D) If the potential energy of the system is negative, net positive work by an external agent was required to
assemble the system of charges.
(E) If the potential energy of the system is zero, then there is no electric force anywhere in space on any other
charged particle not part of the system.

141. A positive point charge exerts a force of magnitude F on a negative point charge placed a distance x away. If the
distance between the two point charges is halved, what is the magnitude of the new force that the positive point
charge exerts on the negative point charge?
(A) 4F (B) 2F (C) F (D) F/2 (E) f/4

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142. Two uniformly charged non–conducting spheres on insulating bases are placed on an air table. Sphere A has a
charge +3Q coulombs and sphere B has a charge +Q coulombs. Which of the following correctly illustrates the
magnitude and direction of the electrostatic force between the spheres when they are released?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

(E) None of the above

143. For the diagram shown below, what is the ratio of the charges q 2 /q 1 where the diagram shown has a
representation of the field lines in the space near the charges.

(A) – 3/2 (B) – 2/3 (C) 2/3 (D) 3/2 (E) 1

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Questions 144 – 145
Two point charges are fixed on the x–axis in otherwise empty space as shown below.

144. In which Region(s) is there a place on the x–axis (aside from infinity) at which the electric potential is equal to
zero?
(A) Only in Region II (D) In both Regions I and III
(B) Only in Region III (E) In both Regions II and III
(C) In both Regions I and II

145. In which Region(s) is there a place on the x–axis (aside from infinity) at which the electric field is equal to
zero?
(A) Only in Region II (D) In both Regions I and III
(B) Only in Region III (E) In both Regions II and III
(C) In both Regions I and II

146. A parallel–plate capacitor is connected to a battery. Without disconnecting the capacitor, a student pulls the
capacitor’s plates apart so that the plate separation doubles. As a result of this action, what happens to the
voltage across the capacitor and the energy stored by the capacitor?
(A) the voltage doubles; the energy stays the same
(B) the voltage halves; the energy doubles
(C) the voltage doubles; the energy halves
(D) the voltage stays the same; the energy halves
(E) the voltage stays the same; the energy doubles

147. A person rubs a neutral comb through their hair and the comb becomes negatively charged. Which of the
following is the best explanation for this phenomenon?
(A) The hair gains protons from the comb.
(B) The hair gains protons from the comb while giving electrons to the comb.
(C) The hair loses electrons to the comb.
(D) The comb loses protons to the person’s hand holding the comb.
(E) The comb loses protons to the person’s hand while also gaining electrons from the hair.

148. A charge of +Q is located on the x–axis at x = –1 meter and a charge of –2Q is held at x = +1 meter, as shown in
the diagram above. At what position on the x–axis will a test charge of +q experience a zero net electrostatic
force?
(A) – �3 + √8� m (B) –1/3 m (C) 0 (D) 1/3 m (E) �3 + √8� m

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149. The two plates of a parallel-plate capacitor are a distance d apart and are mounted on insulating supports. A
battery is connected across the capacitor to charge it and is then disconnected. The distance between the
insulated plates is then increased to 2d. If fringing of the field is still negligible, which of the following
quantities is doubled?
(A) The capacitance of the capacitor
(B) The total charge on the capacitor
(C) The surface density of the charge on the plates of the capacitor
(D) The energy stored in the capacitor
(E) The intensity of the electric field between the plates of the capacitor

150. Four point charges are each brought from infinity into a region of empty space and are "attached in place" into a
square arrangement of side length a as shown below. The location marked P is at the center of the square and
has no charge associated with it. Which is a true statement about the configuration of charges?
(A) The net electric field at point P is directed to the left.
(B) The net electric field at point P is directed to the right.
(C) The total force on each charge from the other three in the configuration is zero.
√2𝑄𝑄
(D) The electric potential at the point P is
𝜋𝜋𝜀𝜀 0 𝑎𝑎
(E) The outside agent that assembled the charges did negative net work.

151. Two point objects each carrying charge 10Q are separated by a distance d. The force between them is F. If half
the charge on one object is transferred to the other object while at the same time the distance between them is
doubled, what is the new force between the two objects?
(A) 0.19 F (B) 0.25 F (C) 0.75 F (D) 4.0 F (E) no change in F

152. A parallel plate capacitor is charged to a voltage V. To double the energy stored on the capacitor, what would
the voltage between the plates have to become?
(A) 0.25 V (B) 0.50 V (C) 1.4 V (D) 2.0 V (E) 4.0 V

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153. Two identical spheres carry identical electric charges. If the spheres are set a distance d apart they repel one
another with a force F. A third sphere, identical to the other two but initially uncharged is then touched to one
sphere and then to the other before being removed. What would be the resulting force between the original two
spheres?
(A) ¾ F (B) 5/8 F (C) ½ F (D) 3/8 F (E) ¼ F

154. Two parallel metal plates 0.04 meters apart are connected to a 1.5 volt battery. When fully charged, each metal
plate has a charge of magnitude 9.0 10–4 coulombs. What is the capacitance of the two plates?
(A) 1.5 × 10–2 F (B) 1.2 × 10–3 F (C) 3.0 × 10–4 F (D) 6.0 × 10–4 F (E) 9.0 × 10–4 F

155. An alpha particle is accelerated to a velocity v in a particle accelerator by a potential difference of 1200 V.
Which of the following potential differences would be needed to give the alpha particle twice the velocity?
(A) 7200 V (B) 4800 V (C) 4100 V (D) 2400 V (E) 1700 V

156. An electrical charge Q is placed at one vertex of an equilateral triangle. When an identical charge is placed at
another vertex, each charge feels a force of 15 N. When a third charge identical to the first two, is placed at the
third vertex, what would be the magnitude of the force on each charge?
(A) 15 N (B) 26 N (C) 30 N (D) 42 N (E) 45 N

157. Two conducting spheres with the same charge Q are separated by an infinite distance. Sphere A has a radius of
10 cm while sphere B has a radius of 20 cm. At what distance from the centers of the spheres would the
magnitude of the electric field be the same?
(A) 15 cm from A and 15 cm from B (B) 20 cm from A and 34 cm from B
(C) 20 cm from A and 40 cm from B (D) 30 cm from A and 40 cm from B
(E) 40 cm from A and 40 cm from B

*158.A large conducting sphere labeled X contains an electrical charge Q. Sphere X is connected by a metal wire to
a small uncharged conducting sphere labeled Y. The wire is then removed. How does the electrical field (E y ) at
the surface of sphere Y compare to the electrical field (E x ) at the surface of sphere X?
(A) E y = 0 (B) E y = E x (C) E y < E x (D) E y > E x (E) E x = 0

159. What voltage would be required across a 8.9 nF capacitor to accumulate 1.5 × 1012 excess electrons on one plate
of the capacitor?
(A) 0.17 V (B) 3.7 V (C) 5.9 V (D) 14 V (E) 27 V

35
160. A hollow metal sphere is uniformly charged with positive charge. Points K and L are inside the sphere and
points M and N are outside the sphere as shown in the diagram. At which point would the field be the smallest?
(A) points K and N (B) points L and M (C) points K and L (D) points M and N (E) point K only

161. Two circular metal plates, each having an area A are placed to one another a distance d apart. When a potential
difference is applied across the two plates, an electric field E is measured halfway between the two plates at
their centers. What is the magnitude of the potential difference between the two plates?
(A) Ed (B) E/d (C) EA/d (D) Ed/A (E) EA

Questions 162 – 163

Three electric charges (Q 1 , Q 2 , and Q 3 ) are arranged at three corners of a rectangle as shown in the diagram and
each has a charge of –40 nC.

162. What is the magnitude of the net force on Q 2 ?

(A) 1.4 × 10–5 N (B) 1.7 × 10–5 N (C) 4.2 × 10–5 N (D) 4.6 × 10–5 N (E) 1.47 × 10–4 N

163. What would be the magnitude of the total electric field at center point X?
(A) 1440 N/C (B) 720 N/C (C) 360 N/C (D) 180 N/C (E) 90 N/C

164. Which of the following graphs would best represent the electric field of a hollow Van de Graff sphere as a
function of distance from its center when it is charged to a potential of 400,000 volts?

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

(E)

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165. Three metal spheres A, B, and C are mounted on insulating stands. The spheres are touching one another, as
shown in the diagram below. A strong positively charged object is brought near sphere A and a strong negative
charge is brought near sphere C. While the charged objects remain near spheres A and C, sphere B is removed
by means of its insulating stand. After the charged objects are removed, sphere B is first touched to sphere A
and then to sphere C. The resulting charge on B would be of what relative amount and sign?
(A) the same sign but 1/2 the magnitude as originally on sphere A
(B) the opposite sign but 1/2 the magnitude as originally on sphere A
(C) the opposite sign but 1/4 the magnitude as originally on sphere A
(D) the same sign but 1/2 the magnitude as originally on sphere C
(E) neutrally charged

166. A charge is uniformly distributed through a volume of radius a. Which of the graphs below best represents the
magnitude of the electric field as a function of distance from the center of the sphere?

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

(E)

167. Four point charges are placed at the corners of a square with diagonal 2a as shown in the diagram. What is the
total electric field at the center of the square?
(A) kq/a2 at an angle 45° above the +x axis.
(B) kq/a2 at an angle 45° below the –x axis.
(C) 3kq/a2 at an angle 45° above the –x axis.
(D) 3kq/a2 at an angle 45° below the +x axis.
(E) 9kq/a2 at an angle 45° above the +x axis.

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168. A free electron and a free proton are placed between two oppositely charged parallel plates. Both are closer to
the positive plate than the negative plate. See the diagram below. Which of the following statements is true?
I. The force on the proton is greater than the force on the electron.
II. The potential energy of the proton is greater than that of the electron.
III. The potential energy of the proton and the electron is the same.

(A) I only (B) II only (C) III only (D) I & II only (E) I & III only

Questions 169 – 170

A spherical shell with an inner surface of radius a and an outer surface of radius b is made of conducting
material. A charge +Q is placed at the center of the spherical shell and a total charge –q is placed on the shell.

*169.How is the charge –q distributed after it has reached equilibrium?

(A) +Q on the inner surface, – q – Q on the outer surface.
(B) The charge –q is spread uniformly between the inner and outer surface.
(C) –Q on the inner surface, – q + Q on the outer surface.
(D) –Q on the inner surface, –q on the outer surface.
(E) Zero charge on the inner surface, –q on the outer surface.

*170.What is the electrostatic potential at a distance R from the center of the shell, where b < R < a?
(A) 0 (B) kQ/a (C) kQ/R (D) k(Q – q)/R (E) k(Q – q)/b

171. Conducting sphere X is initially uncharged. Conducting sphere Y has twice the diameter of sphere X and
initially has charge q. If the spheres are connected by a long thin wire, which of the following is true once
equilibrium has been reached?
(A) Sphere Y has half the potential of sphere X.
(B) Spheres X and Y have the same potential.
(C) Sphere Y has twice the potential of sphere X.
(D) Sphere Y has half the charge of sphere X.
(E) Spheres X and Y have the same charge.

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