Define electric dipole and electric dipole moment.

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Jasmine Grover

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What is an Electric Dipole?

An electric dipole is a pair of equal and opposite electric charges separated by a small distance. This separation between the charges creates a dipole moment, which is a measure of the strength of the electric dipole.

Define electric dipole moment.

The dipole moment is defined as the product of the magnitude of one of the charges and the separation distance between the charges, multiplied by a unit vector pointing from the negative charge to the positive charge.

Mathematically, the electric dipole moment (p) is given by the formula:

μ = Q × r

where Q is the magnitude of the electric charge, and r is the distance between two charges.

Electric Dipole

Electric Dipole

The electric dipole moment is a vector quantity, meaning that it has both magnitude and direction.

  • The direction of the dipole moment is from the negative charge to the positive charge, and its magnitude depends on the strength of the charges and the distance between them.
  • Electric dipoles are important in many areas of physics and engineering, including electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, and molecular biology.
  • They are used to describe the behavior of electric fields in different materials and in different situations, and are also important in the design of electrical devices and in the study of chemical bonding.

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CBSE CLASS XII Related Questions

  • 1.
    Four independent waves are expressed as \[ (i)\; y_1=A_1\sin\omega t, \] \[ (ii)\; y_2=A_2\sin 2\omega t, \] \[ (iii)\; y_3=A_3\cos\omega t, \] \[ (iv)\; y_4=A_4\sin\left(\omega t+\frac{\pi}{3}\right) \] The interference between two of these waves is possible in

      • (i) and (iii) only
      • (iii) and (iv) only
      • (i), (iii) and (iv) only
      • All of them

    • 2.
      A square loop of side 0.50 m is placed in a uniform magnetic field of 0.4 T perpendicular to the plane of the loop. The loop is rotated through an angle of 60° in 0.2 s. The value of emf induced in the loop will be:

        • 5 V
        • 3.5 V
        • 2.5 V
        • Zero V

      • 3.
        Two parallel plate capacitors X and Y are connected in series to a 6 V battery. They have the same plate area and same plate separation but capacitor X has air between its plates, whereas capacitor Y contains a material of dielectric constant 4. Calculate the capacitances of X and Y, if the equivalent capacitance of the combination of X and Y is \( 4 \, \mu\text{F} \). Calculate the potential difference across the plates of X and Y.


          • 4.
            A light copper ring is freely suspended by a light string. A bar magnet is held horizontally with its length along the axis of the ring. The magnet is moved towards the ring with its N pole facing the loop. What will happen to the ring and its position? Explain.


              • 5.
                If both the number of protons and the neutrons are conserved in each nuclear reaction, in what way is mass converted into energy (or vice versa) in a nuclear reaction? Explain.


                  • 6.
                    If Bohr’s quantization postulate (angular momentum \( = \frac{nh}{2\pi} \)) is a basic law of nature, it should be equally valid for the case of planetary motion also. Why, then, do we never speak of quantization of orbits of planets around the Sun? Explain.

                      CBSE CLASS XII Previous Year Papers

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