Gujarati
Hindi
2. Electric Potential and Capacitance
medium

When three electric dipoles are near each other, they each experience the electric field of the other two, and the three dipole system has a certain potential energy. Figure below shows three arrangements $(1)$ , $(2)$ and $(3)$ in which three electric dipoles are side by side. All three dipoles have the same magnitude of electric dipole moment, and the spacings between adjacent dipoles are identical. If $U_1$ , $U_2$ and $U_3$ are potential energies of the arrangements $(1)$ , $(2)$ and $(3)$ respectively then

A

$U_1 > U_2 > U_3$

B

$U_1 > U_3 > U_2$

C

$U_1 > U_2 = U_3$

D

$U_1 = U_2 = U_3$

Solution

$U_1$ will be positive and greatest since all forces among dipoles are repulsive. $U_2$ is negative as potential energy of first & second dipole pair cancels out potential energy of second and third pair, leaving only potential energy of interaction of first and third, that is negative. In $(3)$ , effect of attraction is greatest.

Standard 12
Physics

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