AP PHYSICS 2 CLASS 3: ELECTROSTATICS, PART 1

For all multiple-choice questions, please answer them directly on the Classkick interface by clicking on the
selection box. The printed copy is for reference only.

1. Two electric objects experience a repulsive force. What happens to that force if the distance between the objects
is doubled?
(A) It decreases to one-fourth its value.
(B) It decreases to one-half its value.
(C) It stays the same.
(D) It doubles.
(E) It quadruples.

2. An electron and a proton are separated by 1.50 × 10−10 m. If they are released, which one will accelerate at a
greater rate, and what is the magnitude of that acceleration?
(A) The electron; 1.12 × 1022 m/s2
(B) The proton; 1.12 × 1022 m/s2
(C) The electron; 6.13 × 1018 m/s2
(D) The proton; 6.13 × 1018 m/s2
(E) They both accelerate at the same rate; 1.02 × 10−8 m/s2

3. A rubber comb is rubbed on hair and then attracts paper bits off the table. Which of the following best compares
the forces on the paper bits?
(A) The gravitational force is stronger than the electric force.
(B) The electric force is stronger than the gravitational force.
(C) The strong nuclear force dominates all other forces.
(D) The normal force is stronger than the electric force.
(E) The magnetic force is stronger than the electric force

4. Which of the following may be said about an object that is a good electrical conductor?
(A) The protons are free to move within the object.
(B) The electrons are free to move within the object.
(C) The electrons are bound to their individual atom.
(D) The object cannot maintain its electric charge.
(E) It may be made of materials such as rubber and plastic

5. Three particles are located on a coordinate system. An electron is located at the origin, a proton is located at
(0, 1), and an electron is located at (1, 0). What is the direction of the net electrostatic force on the electron
located at the origin?
(A) To the right on the coordinate plane
(B) At an angle of 45◦ (up and to the right on the coordinate plane)
(C) Up on the coordinate plane
(D) At an angle of 135◦ (up and to the left on the coordinate plane)
(E) To the left on the coordinate plane
 6. A carbon nucleus has 6 protons. What can be said about the electrostatic force between an orbital electron and
the carbon nucleus?
(A) The attractive force of the nucleus on the electron is greater than the force of the electron on the nucleus.
(B) The attractive force of the nucleus on the electron is less than the force of the electron on the nucleus.
(C) The attractive force of the nucleus on the electron is equal to the force of the electron on the nucleus.
(D) The repulsive force of the nucleus on the electron is equal to the force of the electron on the nucleus.
(E) The repulsive force of the nucleus on the electron is greater than the force of the electron on the nucleus.

7. A hydrogen nucleus (charge +𝑒) and a beryllium nucleus (charge +4𝑒) experience a force, 𝐹. Which of the
following expressions may be used to solve for the distance between the nuclei?
√︂
5𝑘
(A) 𝑒
√︂𝐹
𝑘
(B) 2𝑒
𝐹
4𝑘𝑒 2
(C)
𝐹
(D) 6𝐹𝑒 2
(E) 3𝐹𝑒 2

8. Two electrons exert an electrostatic repulsive force on each other. Is it possible to arrange the two electrons so
the gravitational attraction between them is large enough to cancel out the electric repulsive force?
(A) No, the charge of the electrons squared is much larger than the mass of the electrons squared.
(B) No, there is no gravitational force between subatomic particles.
(C) Yes, reducing the radius between the electrons will increase the gravitational force as it is proportional to
the inverse of the radius squared.
(D) Yes, increasing the distance between the electrons will reduce the electrostatic repulsion until it is equal to
the gravitational force.

9. Three charges, +𝑄, −𝑄, and +2𝑄, are arranged in an equilateral triangle as shown. Which of the arrows below
best represents the direction of the electric field at the centre of the triangle?
2𝑄

(A) ↓ (B) ↑ (C) ↘ (D) ↙ (E) ↗

+𝑄 −𝑄

10. Electric potential

(A) is a vector quantity that depends on the direction of the electric field
(B) is a scalar quantity that depends on the magnitude and sign of charges in the vicinity
(C) is a scalar quantity that depends on the square of the distance from the charges in the vicinity
(D) is a vector quantity that depends on the sign of the charges in the vicinity
(E) is a vector quantity that must point from high to low potential

11. Which of the following statements is true of electric field and equipotential lines?
(A) The electric field vector always points in the same direction as the equipotential lines.
(B) The electric field always points in the opposite direction of the equipotential lines.
(C) The electric field always points perpendicular to the equipotential lines.
(D) The electric field is always equal to the equipotential lines.
(E) Equipotential lines always form a circle around electric field lines.
 Next we have a few questions that are not “AP-style” questions, but they are very useful in making sure that
you understand the concepts for this topic. Look for additional hints (and possibly insight) on the Classkick
web interface when you work on these questions.

12. An electric dipole is a pair of charged particles with equal but opposite charges. One such example is shown in
the diagram below. Two particles with charges +12 µC and −12 µC are 1.0 mm apart along the 𝑥-axis. What is
the electric field (magnitude and direction) at 𝑃?
𝑦

0.50 mm

𝑥
−12 µC +12 µC

0.50 mm

1.0 mm

13. Two identical spheres of mass 𝑚 are suspended from a common point by threads of length 𝐿. When each sphere
carries a charge 𝑞, each thread makes an angle 𝜃 with the vertical. Express charge 𝑞 in terms of 𝜃, 𝑚, 𝐿 and any
fundamental constants.

𝐿 𝐿

𝜃 𝜃

𝑞 𝑞
 45◦

50 cm 𝐸®

14. A small ball of mass 200 g and charge 60 µC is initially suspended vertically by a massless and inextensible
string of length 50 cm. Some time later, a strong uniform external electric field 𝐸® is switched on, and the ball
swings to a maximum height, where the string makes a 45◦ angle with the vertical, as shown in the figure above.
(a) Find the gravitational potential energy gained by the ball.
(b) Using the law of conservation of energy, find the magnitude of the electric field 𝐸 = | 𝐸® |. The effects of air
resistance can be neglected.

+2𝑒

𝑟
𝑟
𝑟 +𝑒
+𝑒 𝑟
𝑟
𝑟

+2𝑒

Figure not drawn to scale.

15. The figure above shows four charges of different magnitude arranged in a tetrahedral formed by four equilateral
triangle of side 𝑟. Show that the total electrical potential energy 𝑈 of the system is:

13𝑒 2
𝑈=
4𝜋𝜖 0𝑟
16. In the Bohr model of the hydrogen atom, the electron moves in a circular orbit of radius 𝑟 around the proton.
(a) Find an expression for the kinetic energy of the electron as a function of 𝑟. Show that at any distance 𝑟 the
kinetic energy is negative one half the potential energy.
(b) Evaluate kinetic energy 𝐾, potential energy 𝑈𝑞 and the total energy 𝐸 = 𝐾 + 𝑈𝑞 in electron volts for
𝑟 = 0.529 × 10−10 m, the radius of the electron’s orbit in hydrogen.
(c) What is the energy required to remove the electron from the atom? (This is called the ionization energy.)
 The final two questions are based on past AP Physics 2/B exams. These two questions are not particularly
difficult (compared to the previous 5 questions, but they do show the style of question that you should expect
in an AP Physics 2 exam.

𝑠
𝐴 𝐵

𝑠 𝑠

𝐷 𝐶
𝑠

Arrangement 1

17. Four charged particles are held fixed at the corners of a square of side 𝑠. All the charges have the same magnitude
𝑄, but charges 𝐴 and 𝐶 are positive, while 𝐵 and 𝐷 are negative. In Arrangement 1, shown above, charges of
the same sign are at opposite corners. Express your answers to parts (a) to (d) in terms of the given quantities
and fundamental constants.
(a) For Arrangement 1, determine the electric potential at the centre of the square.

(b) For Arrangement 1, determine the magnitude of the electric field at the centre of the square.

𝑠
𝐴 𝐵

𝑠 𝑠

𝐶 𝐷
𝑠

Arrangement 2
The bottom two charged particles are now switched to form Arrangement 2, shown above, in which the positively
charged particles (𝐴 and 𝐶) are on the left and the negatively charged particles (𝐵 and 𝐷) are on the right.
(c) For Arrangement 2, determine the electrostatic potential at the centre of the square

(d) For Arrangement 2, determine the magnitude of the electric field at the centre of the square
(e) In which of the two arrangements would more work be required to remove the particle at the upper right
corner from its present position to a distance a long way away from the arrangement?

Arrangement 1 Arrangement 2

Justify your answer.

 Electron Source

𝑣0
𝑑

𝑣𝑓

Note: Figure not drawn to scale.

18. The apparatus shown in the figure above consists of two oppositely charged parallel conducting plates, each
with area 𝐴 = 0.25 m2 , separated by a distance 𝑑 = 0.010 m. Each plate has a hole at its centre through
which electrons can pass. High velocity electrons produced by an electron source enter the top plate with
speed 𝑣 0 = 5.40 × 106 m/s, take 1.49 ns to travel between the plates, and leave the bottom plate with speed
𝑣 𝑓 = 8.02 × 106 m/s.
(a) Which of the plates, top or bottom, is negatively charged? Support your answer with a reference to the
direction of the electric field between the plates.

(b) Calculate the magnitude of the electric field between the plates.

(c) Calculate the magnitude of the charge on each plate.