Potential & Capacitor

POTENTIAL & CAPACITOR

1. A metal sphere having a radius r1 charged to a potential 1 is enveloped by a thin-walled conducting spherical
shell of radius r2.
Determine the potential 2 acquired by the sphere after it has been connected for a short time to the shell
by a conductor.

r2

r
11

2. A very small earthed conducting sphere is at a distance a from a point charge q1 and at a distance b from
a point charge q2 (a < b). At a certain instant, the sphere starts expanding so that its radius grows according
to the law R = vt.
Determine the time dependence I (t) of the current in the earthing conductor, assuming that the point charges
and the centre of the sphere are at rest, and in due time the initial point charges get into the expanding
sphere without touching it (through small holes).
3. A parallel-plate capacitor is filled by a dielectric whose permittivity varies with the applied voltage according
to the law  = U, where  = 1 V–1. The same (but containing no dielectric) capacitor charged to a voltage
U0 = 1.56 V is connected in parallel to the first “nonlinear” uncharged capacitor.
Determine the final voltage U across the capacitors.
4. Two small balls of mass m, bearing a charge q each, are connected by a nonconducting thread of length
2. At a certain instant, the middle of the thread starts moving at a constant velocity v perpendicular to the
direction of the thread at the initial instant.
Determine the minimum distance d between the balls.
5. A plate A of a parallel-plate capacitor is fixed, while a plate B is attached to the wall by a spring and can
move, remaining parallel to the plate A. After the key K is closed, the plate B starts moving and comes to
rest in a new equilibrium position. The initial equilibrium separation d between the plates decreases in this
case by 10%.

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 Potential & Capacitor Practice Assignment

A B

What will be the decrease in the equilibrium separation between the plates if the key K is closed for such
a short time that the plate B cannot be shifted noticeably?
6. A very thin round plate of radius R carrying a uniform surface charge density  is located in vacuum. Find
the electric field potential and strength along the plate’s axis as a function of a distance  from its centre.
Investigate the obtained expression at   0 and  >> R.
7. The potential of a certain electrostatic field has the form  = a (x2 + y2) + bz2, where a and b are constants.
Find the magnitude and direction of the electric field strength vector. What shape have the equipotential
surfaces in the following cases:
(a) a > 0, b > 0; (b) a > 0, b < 0?

8. Find the potential  (x, y) of an electrostatic field E  2axyiˆ  a  x 2  y 2  jˆ, where a is a constant, iˆ and ĵ
are the unit vectors of the x and y axes.
9. The field potential inside a charged ball depends only on the distance from its centre as  = ar2 + b, where
a and b are constants. Find the space charge distribution  (r) inside the ball.
10. A very long straight thread is oriented at right angles to an infinite conducting plane; its end is separated
from the plane by a distance . The thread carries a uniform charge of linear density . Suppose the point
O is the trace of the thread on the plane. Find the surface density of the induced charge on the plane
(a) at the point O;
(b) as a function of a distance r from the point O.
11. Demonstrate that at a dielectric-conductor interface the surface density of the dielectric’s bound charge
 = – ( – 1)/, where  is the permittivity,  is the surface density of the charge on the conductor.
12. The gap between the plates of a parallel-plate capacitor is filled with isotropic dielectric whose permittivity 
varies linearly from 1 to 2 (2 > 1) in the direction perpendicular to the plates. The area of each plate equals
S, the separation between the plates is equal to d. Find:
(a) the capacitance of the capacitor;
(b) the space density of the bound charges as a function of  if the charge of the capacitor is q and the

field E in it is directed toward the growing  values.
13. There is a double-layer cylindrical capacitor whose parameters are shown in Fig. The breakdown field
strength values for these dielectrics are equal to E1 and E2 respectively. What is the breakdown voltage of
this capacitor if 1R1E1 < 2R2E2?

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Practice Assignment Potential & Capacitor

R1
O R2
1 R3
2

14. Find the capacitance of a system of two identical metal balls of radius a if the distance between their centres
is equal to b, with b >> a. The system is located in a uniform dielectric with permittivity .
15. What charges will flow after the shorting of the switch Sw in the circuit illustrated in Fig. through sections 1
and 2 in the directions indicated by the arrows?

Sw C1

 
C2

1 2

16. There is an infinite straight chain of alternating charges q and –q. The distance between the neighbouring
charges is equal to a. Find the interaction energy of each charge with all the others.
Instruction: Make use of the expansion of In(1 + ) in a power series in .
17. What amount of heat will be generated in the circuit shown in Fig. after the switch Sw is shifted from position
1 to position 2?

C C0 C
Sw

1 2

18. A point charge q is located at the centre O of a spherical uncharged conducting layer provided with a
small orifice. The inside and outside radii of the layer are equal to a and b respectively. What amount of
work has to be performed to slowly transfer the charge q from the point O through the orifice and into
infinity?

b
a
O
q

19. A capacitor consists of two stationary plates shaped as a semi-circle of radius R and a movable plate made
of dielectric with permittivity  and capable of rotating about an axis O between the stationary plates . The

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 Potential & Capacitor Practice Assignment

thickness of the movable plate is equal to d which is practically the separation between the stationary plates.
A potential difference V is applied to the capacitor. Find the magnitude of the moment of forces relative to
the axis O acting on the movable plate in the position shown in the figure.

 O

20. A metal sphere, of radius R and cut in two along a plane whose minimum distance from the sphere’s
centre is h, is uniformly charged by a total electric charge Q. What force is necessary to hold the two parts
of the sphere together?
21. The distance between the plates of a plane capacitor is d and the area of each plate is A. As shown in the
figure, both plates of the capacitor are earthed and a small body carrying charge Q is placed between
them, at a distance x from one plate.

d Q
x

What charge will accumulate on each plate?

22. A closed body, whose surface F is made of metal foil, has an electrical capacitance C with respect to an
‘infinitely distant’ point. The foil is now dented in such a way that the new surface F* is entirely inside or on
the original surface, as shown in the figure.

F*

Prove that the capacitance of the deformed body is less than C.

23. There is a ball of radius r having uniformly distributed volume charge Q on it and there is a spherical shell
of radius r having uniformly distributed surface charge Q on it. The two spheres are far apart.
(a) A point charge q is moved slowly from the centre of the shell (through a small hole in it) to the centre
of the ball. Find work done by the external agent in the process.
(b) The two spheres are brought closer so that their centers are separated by 4r. Now calculate the amount
of work needed in slowly moving a point charge q from the centre of the shell to the centre of the ball.
Assume that charge on one ball does not alter the charge distribution of the other. Does your answers
in (a) and (b) differ? Why?

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Practice Assignment Potential & Capacitor

Q Q

r
r

24. The quarter disc of radius R (see figure) has a uniform surface charge density .
(a) Find electric potential at a point (O, O, Z)
(b) Find the Z component of electric field at (O, O, Z)

X
O R

25. Two infinite line have linear charge densities – and +. They are parallel to z axis passing through x axis
 ln  2 
at points x = –a and x = a respectively. Show that the equipotential surface having potential is a
40
cylinder having radius 2 2a .
26. A conducting sphere of radius R having charge Q is placed in a uniform external field E. O is the centre of
the sphere and A is a point on the surface of the sphere such that AO makes an angle of 0 = 60° with the
opposite direction of external field. Calculate the potential at point A due to charge on the sphere only.

E
A +Q

0
O

27. A conducting shell has inner radius R and outer radius 2R. A charge +q is given to the spherical shell.
(a) Find the electric field at a point which is at a distance x from the centre of the shell. Give your answer
for three cases.
(i) x < R (ii) R < x < 2R (iii) x > 2R
(b) Find the electric potential in all the three cases mentioned in (a).
(c) Find field and potential in all the three cases mentioned in (a) after a point charge –q is introduced at
the centre of the shell.

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 Potential & Capacitor Practice Assignment

(d) Write the electrical potential energy of the system consisting of the shell and the point charge at its
centre.
(e) Find the electrostatic force that the shell exerts on the point charge.
(f) Now, another point charge +q is placed at a distance 4R from the centre of the shell. Find electric field
and potential in following cases.
(i) x < R
(ii) R < x < 2R
q

2R
28. An infinite line charge is perpendicular to the plane of the figure having linear charge density . A particle
having charge Q and mass m is projected in the field of the line charge from point P. The point P is at a distance
R from the line charge and velocity given to the particle is perpendicular to the radial line at P (see figure).
V0

+ P
R

Line charge
(a) Find the speed of the particle when its distance from the line charge grows to R ( > 1).
(b) Fine the velocity component of the particle along the radial line (joining the line charge to the particle)
at the instant its distance becomes R.
29. (a) Calculate the electrostatic self energy of a uniformly charged sphere of radius R having charge Q.
R
(b) Divide the above sphere (mentally) into two regions-spherical concentric part having radius and the
2
 R 
remaining annular part  between and R  . Denote the point charges in sphere of radius R/2 by q1,
 2 
q2, q3 ... etc.
The charges in annular part be denoted by Q1, Q2, Q3 ... etc.
Calculate the electrostatic interaction energy for all pairs like [(Qi, Qj) + (qi + qj)].

q1 R/2
q2
Q Q3

Q2

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Practice Assignment Potential & Capacitor

30. A parallel plate capacitor of plate area A and spacing between the plates d is filled with three dielectrics as
shown in the figure. The dielectric constants of the three dielectrics are K1 = K, K2 = 2K, K3 = 3K. The
capacitor is connected to a cell of emf V.
(a) Write the ratio of maximum to minimum charge density on the surface of the capacitor plate.
(b) Calculate the surface charge density of bound (induced) charge on the middle dielectric.
(c) If the three dielectrics occupy equal volume between the plates, calculate the capacitance of the
capacitor.

k1

k2

k3

31. A parallel plate capacitor has square plates of side length L. Plates and kept vertical at separation d between
them. The space between the plates is filled with a dielectric whose dielectric constant (K) changes with
height (x) from the lower edge of the plates as K = ex where  is a positive constant. A potential difference
of V is applied across the capacitor plates.
(i) Plot the variation of surface charge density () on the positive plate of the capacitor versus x.
(ii) Plot the variation of electric field between the plates as a function of x.
(iii) Calculate the capacitance of the capacitor.

32. Find heat dissipated in the circuit after switch S in closed. C = 2 F.

C C

30 V 60 V 30 V

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 Potential & Capacitor Practice Assignment

33. Two square metal plates have sides of length L and thickness t (<< L). They are arranged parallel to each
5
other with their inner faces at a separation of t .One of the plates is given a charge –Q and the other one
2
t
is given a charge +Q. A third rectangular metal plate of sides L and x, having thickness is inserted
2
between the plates as shown. The third plate is equidistant from the two plates and parallel to them. Neglect
edge effects.
L
t
2
L +Q t

2
5t
x
2 1 Q

(a) Find the charge density on lower plate at points 1 and 2 shown in figure.
(b) Find potential difference between the upper plate and the middle plate.
(c) Find electric field between the two outer plates in space where the third plate is not present (i.e., at a
point above point 1.)
(d) Find the capacitance of the system across two outer plates.
34. A hollow spherical conductor of radius R has a charge Q on it. A small dent on the surface decreases the
volume of the spherical conductor by 2%. Assume that the charge density on the surface does not change
due to the dent and the electric field in the dent region remains same as other points on the surface.
(a) E is the electrostatic energy stored in the electric field in the shallow dent region and E is the total
E
electrostatic energy of the spherical shell. Find the ratio .
E
(b) Using the ratio obtained in part (a) calculate the percentage change in capacitance of the sphere due
to the dent.
35. A particle of mass m and charge +q enters horizontally with speed V0 midway between the horizontal plates
of a parallel plate capacitor at time t = 0. Separation between the capacitor plates is ‘d’ and it starts getting
charged, by a constant current source, at time t = 0. Plate area of the capacitor is A. It was found that the
particle just misses (to hit) the lower plate. Assume that the plates are quite long and acceleration due to
gravity is g.
(a) Give a rough sketch of the path of the particle.
(b) Find the constant current (i0) supplied by the source to the capacitor.
Consider no magnetic force on the charge.

Constant
current
m V0 source
d
g i0

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Practice Assignment Potential & Capacitor

36. One plate of a parallel plate capacitor is tilted by a small angle about its central line as shown in the figure.
The tilt angle  is small. Both the plates are square in shape with side length a and separation between
their centers is d. Find the capacitance of the capacitor.
x 2 x3
Given :  n 1  x   x –   ...
2 3

 x2 x3 
 n 1– x   –  x    ... 
 2 3 

37. Each edge of a cube made of wire contains a capacitor C (Fig. 3). Find the capacitance of this battery if it is
connected to the circuit by means of conductors joined to the opposite apices A and B of the cube.

4 B
C
C C
3 C
5
C C

C C
C 6
1 C
C
A C 2

38. A dielectric in the form of a sphere is introduced into a homogeneous electric field. How will the intensity of
the field change at points A, B and C.

A B C

39. The space between the plates of a plane capacitor is filled with a dielectric as shown in Fig. The area
of each plate is A and the permittivity of the dielectric is r. Find the capacitance of the capacitor in both
cases.

1

r d
r d1
 
(a) (b)

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 Potential & Capacitor Practice Assignment

40. A charge Q is imparted to two identical plane capacitors connected in parallel. At the moment of time t = 0
the distance between the plates of the first capacitor begins to increase uniformly according to the law
d1 = d0+ vt, and the distance between the plates of the second capacitor to decrease uniformly according
to the law d2 = d0 – vt. Neglecting the resistance of the feeding wires. find the intensity of the current in the
circuit when the plates of the capacitors move.
41. A charge +Q is uniformly distributed over a thin ring with a radius R. Find the velocity of a negative point
charge –Q at the moment it passes through the centre O of the ring if the charge –Q was initially at rest at
point A sufficiently removed from the ring (Fig. 9). The mass of the charge –Q is equal to m. The ring is
stationary.

R A
O

42. A thin metal ring of radius R is charged in such a way that the electric potential at its centre is V0. The ring
is now placed horizontally above a grounded solid metal sphere of radius r, so that the centre of the ring
and the top of the sphere coincide. Find the total charge induced on the sphere.

  

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